The Return of Shao Kahn
by thatoneguy655
Summary: Much concern has risen since the events of Mortal Kombat X. Liu Kang and Raiden, two strong forces of good, have become corrupted. They've fallen out of the Elder Gods' favor and the two are constantly at each other's throats. Only one person under the Elder Gods' thumb is strong enough to stop them both but he is far from heroic. Involves AU elements such as Edenia's liberation.
1. Role Reversal

Approximately 20 years ago, Shao Kahn was banished to purgatory. He was sent there by Raiden channeling the power of the Elder Gods. Facing execution for breaking the laws of the Mortal Kombat tournament, he remains in a solitary confinement, a hellish void of nothingness that leaves him alone with his thoughts. Finally, after a long time the Elder Gods finally reach a conclusion of what to do with the fallen Emperor.

Recent events had struck a blow to the Elder Gods. The deceased Mortal Kombat champion of Earthrealm had become the ruler of the Netherrealm, and their guardian of Earthrealm had gone rogue. Not only that, but without a ruler, the freed Edenia went from an idyllic paradise to a realm of chaos. People were vying for control and nobody was powerful enough to bring order to the now ruined realm…at least nobody powerful enough in the Elder Gods' control.

But there was one person they knew who could possibly unite Edenia into one…maybe even stop both the rogue Thunder God and prevent Liu Kang from trying to conquer the realms. That man was the very one they held in prison, Shao Kahn. The Elder Gods were weary of the emperor but they had no choice. He looked up to them, as they went from formless to the shape of dragons, "What do you wish to see me for, Elder Gods? After you left me in purgatory, I thought I would've stayed."

The Elder Gods all spoke at once in unison, "You have been brought here to serve us, Shao Kahn."

Shao Kahn laughed at their offer, "You come to me for my help? What makes you think I will do as you say?"

"We can offer you freedom." The Elder Gods replied. Shao Kahn gave their offer greater thought now that he knew this could be his only way back to the realms. He nodded at them, "Very well, I shall serve you as long as you deliver me my freedom."

The Elder Gods then stopped him, "Wait. You will not be granted total freedom. You are not allowed to merge the realms and you must repent."

Shao Kahn grimaced at their orders, "You dare limit me?! I shall merge the realms, and not even you can stop me!"

The Elder Gods looked at each other with concern. They flew high into the sky and formed a vortex. The vortex showed a vision of the past. Shao Kahn looked up the vision as he doubted it, "What is it you are showing me?" Inside the vortex, Shao Kahn saw a large shadowy being with fire for eyes and a large appetite. It fed on dragons shaped very similarly shaped to the Elder Gods. Eventually this would be this being's downfall as the dragons ripped right through the shadow's stomach. The stomach split into six parts, and the mind of the beast split as well. It showed the mind of the shadow being spread into Shang Tsung, Quan-Chi, Onaga, and even Shao Kahn.

The vision fades as the Elder Gods returned to their position. Shao Kahn paced around the Elder God's coliseum. He wondered what it meant. He pondered, he thought, and he just plain wondered what it meant. But then he realized it, "I had heard legends of the One Being."

He looked up to the gods, "He fed upon you worms and eventually you split his consciousness between the realms. As long as the realms remain apart, he too will remain apart."

The Elder Gods nodded, confirming he was right so far. He continued, "And you're saying that the One Being manipulated my mind…" The dragon-like gods spoke, "Yes, you have been a puppet to them and you did not even know."

Shao Kahn's brow furrowed and his teeth scraped against each other in rage, "I am a puppet to nobody! The realms shall remain unmerged as long as I live! Wait…am I not a puppet to you?"

The Gods were pleased with this outcome, "Good, good. And no, you are now our champion! Champion of the Elder Gods!"

Shao Kahn grinned, "Yes! I am Shao Kahn, champion of the Elder Gods! Edenia shall become mine once more and so shall Outworld!"

The Elder Gods didn't want him ruling Outworld once more, but they didn't let him know that right now, "You are a formidable foe. We shall send you to the Netherrealm, from which you shall escape."

"You expect me to escape the Netherrealm?" the Emperor asked. The Elder Gods remained as stoic as ever in replying, "You are our champion, it shall come easily."

Shao Kahn's ego was satiated by their compliments. So much so he was more than willing to attempt it, "You're right! No Oni, zombie, or anything will stop me from claiming what is mine!"

The Elder Gods surrounded Shao Kahn and orbited him. Molecule by molecule, Shao Kahn faded from sight. He looked as his hand vanished, and then his other hand. Eventually his entire body was gone and he had finally descended back to the 6 realms.

In the Netherrealm, a hand rose out of the brimstone ground. Another hand rose out as well and Shao Kahn finally pulled himself out of the ground. He looked at his surroundings. It sure seemed like the Neatherrealm between the rivers of lava, the stony ground, the Oni walking around and of course, the zombies. He then looked down to himself and saw he was completely naked.

Luckily, the smoke and steam of the realm dramatically covered him up. He breathed in, he breathed out. The air of the Netherrealm was overwhelming. It smelled of the decaying corpses at his feet, it smelled of the smoke, but most of all, to Shao Kahn, it smelled like the first step in conquering.

An Oni walked up to him, about ready to attack but then…Shao Kahn struck the Oni down with one punch. He ripped the skull from its oversize cranium. He placed it on his head, and he smirked, "That's more like it." He then snatched the loin cloth the beast wore, to have some sort of decency.

All the other demons watching this gasped, only when he placed that skull on his head did they recognize who he was. They screamed, "It's Shao Kahn!"

Shao Kahn laughed at their horror. He ripped a stalagmite from the ground and held it like his Warhammer. He swung it into the back of an Oni's neck, causing the Oni to split in half in the torso. The other Oni cringed, "Don't! Don't!"

He stared them all down and asked, "Where is an escape?"

"We don't know!" the demons screeched. Shao Kahn frowned, "Very well, I will find one myself."

He stomped away from the fear filled demons with a stride to his steps. He had forgotten how much fun it was to watch his enemies cower before his might. Each step caused fear to rumble throughout the realm. This disturbance even reached Liu Kang, who removed himself from his throne, "Something is wrong…"

Kitana placed her hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, Liu. I am sure it's nothing."

He removed her hand from his shoulder as he ominously looked up at the ceiling, "No Kitana. Something is very wrong..."

Back with Shao Kahn, he continued to fight his way through anybody unfortunate enough to even step in front of him. Soon he ran into a jet black entity with piercing white eyes. Kahn stared this entity down and simply demanded one thing, "Move."

The shadow finally formed into Noob Saibot, who seemingly survived being sucked into the Soulnado. Noob looked at the former Emperor with shock, "You cannot be alive."

Shao Kahn then recognized him, "Ahhh…a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow…your group betrayed me and for that they will pay."

Noob kneeled beneath Shao Kahn, showing his allegiance, "Do not worry, the treacherous Quan-Chi has paid for his crimes."

Shao Kahn decided he had enough of the specter and he stomped his foot right onto Noob's chest, sending him down. Shadowy hands reached out from a portal, grappling onto Shao Kahn's other foot. First, he used his makeshift club to bat the hands off, secondly he picked Noob back up by his neck, and finally he began to squeeze. Noob tried begging for mercy, but Kahn's grip was so tight he was having difficulty getting the words out.

Kahn dropped him, in a rare act of mercy, "Consider your punishment having to remain here as I escape."

Noob's head crunched into ground. He grunted, "I will not stay for long…"

Kahn continued on his rampage until he found it. It was a portal leading from the nightmarish Neatherrealm to some place new. Wandering near the gate was a brown skinned woman dressed in green garb. Shao Kahn recognized her instantly. This set him off. He readied his club as he stared at this woman, "Jade."

She turned back to him but seemed unfamiliar with him, "Jade?" Shao Kahn squinted at her beneath his crude skull helmet, "Are you daft, woman? That is your name!"

She tilted her head, "Jade's my name? I guess that'd explain the green outfit."

Kahn tilted his head and then he realized it, "You're stricken with amnesia…"

"I'm afraid so it seems." She said. The champion of the Elder Gods decided to use her disadvantage to his advantage, "I know who you are. You are Jade, my personal assassin."

She then seemed to remember something, "Wait yes! Shao Kahn! You are Shao Kahn. I shall serve you just as I have before."

Kahn was elated his plan worked. He motioned to the rift.

He crossed into the rift between realms and found himself in another coliseum-ish structure. It was very similar to the meeting place of the Elder Gods, but this had six other portals. These gates lead to each of the six realms.

Shao Kahn was ready to step into the Outworld portal and take back what was his, but then it shut. He looked at the Earthrealm portal with an evil grin. He was about to step into that one, but then it also shut. He looked around and asked, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

The voice of the Elder Gods spoke to him, "You are here to save Edenia first. Worry about the rogue Thunder God later. Outworld is not a concern to you."

Shao Kahn stomped his foot, "I'll do as I please!"

The voice was unfazed by Kahn's rebellion, "You will not, you are our champion. If you wish to remain in life, then you shall do as we say."

Kahn crossed him arms and begrudgingly obliged, "Very well. I shall do as you wish, Elder Gods."

Jade was also in the Nexus now. She looked at him oddly, "Do you always talk to yourself?"

Shao Kahn swerved he head to her, "Do not question me, Jade."

She nodded. The Elder Gods gave Shao Kahn one final command before leaving, "Remember, you are a Champion now. You must only kill when necessary. Needless rampages are fine in the Netherrealm but anywhere is a no-go."

Shao Kahn was about ready to explode at that rule. How could the Elder Gods take away the violence he so loved? It was the violence that made the battle worth fighting. The screams of the conquered, the yelping of the defeated, the falling of the enemy, that's what he loved. He scowled but agreed, "Fine, I will only kill when provoked."

The Elder Gods were pleased by this revelation and they finally relented. He saw the portal to Edenia. He walked inside and Jade followed.

Shao Kahn expected to see the lush green environment that Edenia was known for. The peaceful villages, the wandering villagers, and of course the guardsman who didn't have to do much because of how peaceful it was. He got something entirely different.

When Edenia was split from Outworld, the citizens rejoiced. But then they realized both their queen and princess were gone. There was nobody to receive the throne. It seemed like they might be able to diplomatically handle it, but instead a war broke out. Different sides were vying for control of the Edenian Empire because Edenia was well known for being looked up to by other realms. Eventually, the realm tore itself apart in trying to find a new leader. The environment had changed drastically. A purple haze filled the air, and the ground a purple soil. Whatever buildings that hadn't been destroyed had just been covered in plant life and mold. If nobody knew any better, the once peaceful realm of Edenia could've been mistaken for the madness that was Outworld.

Shao Kahn overlooked the destruction of Edenia with great pleasure, "To think this all could've been prevented if only I were still leader of this realm."

Jade looked at her former war torn world with confusion, "What happened to this place?"

Shao Kahn got a devious idea, "You see, Jade, this world was once yours. But when the royals began to fight you had to leave. You came to me to save your realm, but the evil Raiden and Liu Kang tried to put a stop to me. Liu Kang's evil queen made you think you were friends until she let you die. Then they killed me to prevent this world from ever reaching true peace."

Jade gasped, "What?! I find that very hard to believe."

"Believe it." Kahn iterated, "This was once a realm of peace until those three interfered with it."

The amnesiac didn't know any better thanks to losing her mind so she believed Kahn, "How could they?"

Shao Kahn shook his head in dismay, "We may never know…"

He looked down to his feet, to which he saw an Outworld guard's body. He ripped the harness from the guard's broken chest and placed it on his torso. He clipped it on and he was one step further in regaining his old looks. When he looked back up, he saw a familiar face looking at him. It was Ermac, who seemed very angry, "How dare you!"

Shao Kahn asked, "Ermac? Who are you to judge your commander?"

"You are not my commander!" Ermac answered with contempt, "You are merely impersonating him. Shao Kahn died years ago and I shall not let an impersonator take his name in vain."

Shao Kahn gave the soul composed warrior a dark stare, "I am no mere impersonator, I am the real deal."

Ermac scoffed at the former Emperor, "Then show me the Emperor's old power in a fight. I challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"

Shao Kahn swung his makeshift club in preparation of the incoming battle, "Very well. If you think you stand a chance then you're in for a painful surprise."

Elsewhere in Earthrealm, Raiden sensed a disturbance. Not only was this disturbance a strong one, but it was a familiar once. He sensed it in an empty forest, far away from any person. It being night only made this sense of loneliness ever stronger. Not that he minded. It seemed as the days passed by, the more Raiden tired of other mortals. He was sick of having to protect them from their own mistakes.

He sneered in rage at even thinking of this presence, "It can't be! Time and time again, when it seems to be over it only starts again!"

The thunder god's blood was boiling at the thought of even having to save Earthrealm once more. He paced around the darkened woods, "Shao Kahn is alive once more and I'm sure he'll attempt to merge the realms together!"

His brow furrowed and his lips were curled up, exposing his gritting teeth, "How am I to protect Earthrealm with all of these threats?! And the Elder Gods give me no answers. They give me nothing! I thought they had control of Shao Kahn but yet…here he is yet again!"

Then he realized something, could the Elder Gods be setting him up for failure for his thoughts of treachery of the system of Mortal Kombat? This only made the rage within him even stronger, "They would not dare betray me like that! The ancient rules of Mortal Kombat do not matter in this modern world! After I am finished with Shao Kahn, I just may move on to the Elder Gods themselves…"

The Elder Gods heard his plot of betrayal against them, but they decided to wait and see how the fight with Shao Kahn played out. They were hoping for Kahn to knock some sense into Raiden, but it could turn it far worse. The cleansing of the Jinsei Champer corrupted the Thunder God. It made him almost similar to Shinnok and Shao Kahn…and maybe like them he too could be under the control of the One Being.

Whatever the case, they hoped that their new Champion may put an end to Raiden's insanity. If not then the Six Realms themselves may very well be doomed…


	2. A Realm in Trouble

Smack! That's the sound Ermac heard as Shao Kahn's club slammed right in his face. The next sound he heard was a thud, the sound he made when he had fallen. He got back up, but that was only met with another slam by Shao Kahn's club. Again, the warrior composed of many souls fell to the ground. Such brute force was only exhibited by the true former Emperor himself. Shao Kahn was ready to once again strike Ermac, but the ninja raised his hands in front of his face. Shao Kahn lowered his bat as he picked Ermac back up.

Ermac kneeled before his master, "We hadn't realized it was you, Shao Kahn. We are sorry" Kahn smirked, "All is forgiven, Ermac. Now tell me what's going on here."

Ermac explained, "Kotal Kahn sent us here to see how strong the forces of Edenia have been since your defeat led to its separation from Outworld. We had heard it had gotten bad, but this is most concerning."

Jade looked around until bumping into Ermac, "Sorry!" Ermac looked at her and raised his defenses. Shao Kahn calmed him down, "Hold on, Ermac. She's on our side."

Ermac questioned how that was possible, "But that doesn't make sense. She is our enemy…something isn't right here."

"Amnesia." Shao Kahn brushed it off as, but Ermac felt something was wrong, "No, no…there's something wrong with her. It's more than just amnesia. We can feel it."

Shao Kahn didn't even give it a second thought, "We have more pressing matters, Ermac…such as fixing this realm."

Jade looked around and asked, "Did I really live here? Doesn't seem so pleasant…" Ermac replied, "It has fallen without a leader. We must unite it as one once again."

Shao Kahn paced around the hillside they were on. When he could see past the horizon he could see how bad it really was. The once great Edenian palaces were now just piles of rubble. The peaceful villages became craters and even right now there in the distance the sounds of cannon fire could be heard.

Ermac looked at it, "It's funny how this happened. When you died, this realm wasn't even split."

"What happened?" Shao Kahn asked. Ermac answered, "A band of Edenian freedom fighters found a way to break Edenia away from Outworld. We could do nothing about it as without you, Outworld was in strife at the time. It had been for years until Kotal Kahn took over as our leader. Now we try to reclaim this realm!"

Shao Kahn scowled, "You mean they try to reclaim this realm, Ermac. You're on my side now."

Ermac then asked his boss one final question, "Are you proud of what your men have accomplished even with you gone?"

Shao Kahn laughed, "Of course! Now I get to take over Edenia again without anybody to stop me! They will have no choice but to accept me as their leader. Best of all is that I am able to escape every single 'bad' thing that I've ever done with this."

Jade looked at Edenia in awe. She gasped, "Wait I think I remember this place now. Yes, I remember. The Queen's palace is over there…at least it was." She pointed to a decrepit old temple. It was surprising that the temple still stood tall in this chaos but it didn't look so well. The walls were covered in vines, weeds, and the walls were dented. In front of it was a statue of King Jerrod. She squinted, "Wait, who's that guy?"

Shao Kahn stepped in front of her, blocking her view, "Believe me, it doesn't matter. We shall head to that palace! It will be the first place of conquest…"

The three 'heroes' slid down the hill's slope, finding themselves much closer to the older palace. Shao Kahn stepped down the hallowed, broken road to the palace with his two accomplices not much further behind. He looked upon the palace with great pride, "This is wonderful! They tried to separate from Outworld and they were torn apart by their own want of the realm…"

Jade looked at the palace with sorrow. She wanted to remember it more but something prevented her from doing so. She looked up to the statue that was now above them, but yet…nothing clicked. She looked for a plaque that maybe said who the statue was of, but she couldn't find anything.

Ermac was rather indifferent. He didn't feel anything for Edenia, whether it be joy or hatred. He was glad that Shao Kahn had arisen even if something inside him made him feel like he shouldn't. Before they could even express how they felt, they heard yelling from their left. Shao Kahn turned around, seeing an army of people charging at him.

He grinned at this opportunity to show off his power. He grabbed his club and charged straight into battle. The army shot their arrows, they tried to fight but Shao Kahn was too much. The thrill of the battle was well known to him more than any of them. Jade stared at their fighting with horror. She yelled, "Stop! There is no need to fight!" But nobody listened. Ermac soon got involved too as he either tossed soldiers away with his telekinesis or he just used his fists to get the job done.

Shao Kahn's grin soon turned into a psychotic smile that reached to each of his ears. It felt like he was reliving the battles of old…the battles before he was Emperor of Outworld. He soon grew so thrilled he threw his club away, deciding to fight the incoming forces with just his hands. The forces stood little chance against the warlord's onslaught. They decided that fighting a losing fight wasn't worth it, leading them to retreat. Shao Kahn taunted the running soldiers, "You will never win!"

Jade looked to Shao Kahn and the carnage surrounding him, "I don't think it was necessary to fight them…" Shao Kahn chortled at her pacifism, "Not fighting will get us nowhere! You used to be an assassin before your amnesia. Start acting like it."

Ermac whispered to his boss, "Do you wish for us to find a way to restore her memory?" Shao Kahn replied, "No." Jade tried listening in, but Shao Kahn began to march into the remains of the once great Edenian palace. Shao Kahn looked at the inside, which aside from some overgrowth and cracks it was in relatively good condition, "Those Edenians knew how to build a sturdy foundation I'll give them that."

Ermac felt something inside of him the more they ventured inside. This palace felt…familiar, even if it shouldn't have. Ermac asked Shao Kahn a question, "Have we been here before? It feels like we have been, our lord."

"You're just experiencing past memories." Shao Kahn replied halfheartedly, "Probably of some worthless guard who used to protect the king."

Jade turned to him, "What about the king? Were you not the ruler of this realm?" Shao Kahn gulped, "Well that was the king who preceded me. He was…killed by…" Shao Kahn started to think, he had to keep his façade up somehow, "he was killed by the Dragon King, Onaga."

Jade's doubt in the emperor only grew but she accepted that, "Alright…" Shao Kahn turned his attention to Ermac, who had disappeared. The emperor clenched his fist as he yelled, "Where did he venture off to?!" The green clad warrior to his side shrugged, "I don't know!" Shao Kahn then realized exactly where he'd go. He charged up the stairs of the tower, finding himself in a corridor. He was surrounded by doors, each one that could lead to Ermac. Almost instinctively he marched down the hall to the final door. He kicked it open, finally finding the soul composed ninja sitting in the throne of King Jarrod.

Ermac seemed relaxed sitting there, almost too relaxed. Shao Kahn pulled him out of the throne and onto the ground, "What do you think you're doing?"

"We just…felt the need to come here. We don't know why…" Ermac answered confusedly. Shao Kahn demanded that his servant to snap out of it, to which he obliged. Shao Kahn himself took the seat of King Jerrod with a large grin on his face. Jade walked in and she recognized this room, "This…this is the throne room."

She looked at Shao Kahn in the king's throne and felt something was off but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She looked at the adjoining throne, knowing that the queen should be there. She paced over to the empty throne, sighing longingly. Ermac turned to her, "Is something the matter?"

The forlorn woman shook her head, "I'm fine." Shao Kahn made himself comfortable in that new throne he claimed as his own. In his mind he heard the Elder Gods scolding him for attacking the Edenian army, "Shao Kahn! You attacked that army unprovoked! You dare disobey us?" Shao Kahn brushed them off, "Please. You cannot get anywhere without resorting to violence. These people cannot be controlled by words…they are controlled by fighting! Only the victor may calm them. I was only doing as I should."

"Your violence will only take you so far." The Elder Gods replied disappointedly, "If you kill them all, then what empire shall you rule over?"

Shao Kahn pondered this question for quite a while. He had pondered than he had ever pondered while in Edenia…but he didn't care, "If they do not accept my rule through violence then that is that. If they wish to die then so be it."

The Elder Gods weren't happy with this answer, "You have much to learn, Shao Kahn…" After that, they stopped communicating with him. Shao Kahn demanded to know why they remained silent. Soon after, he lost interest due to the elation he felt from sitting in a throne again. Once again, he was reminded of his days prior to becoming emperor…claiming the throne from the Dragon King was a feeling he thought he'd never relive again. Yet here he is, living that feeling once more. Though it was far from victory, Shao Kahn considered it enough for now.

As the Champion of the Elder Gods ruled over the hill of dirt that was Edenia, the rulers of the Netherrealm considered what to do now that Raiden seemed hellbent on keeping them out of Earthrealm.

Their answer came in the form of Noob Saibot, who walked into their throne room unannounced. Liu Kang stared down the specter, "Why is it that you enter our lair without caution? Have you a deathwish?"

"I have news that may come as a surprise." Noob replied unfazed by the Netherrealm's rulers, "Shao Kahn is back."

Kitana and her wicked consort's mouth went agape. Kitana slammed her fist against the armrest of her throne, "Impossible! You come here to only blabber on about lies?! I will have you thrown into a soulnado."

Noob laughed, "I've already been through one…and I came back. I've just been…watching from the sidelines through a good friend."

"Enough, I will have you taken away!" Liu Kang yelled as Enenra walked in, "Take this liar away, Enenra!"

Enenra stood next to Noob, "No can do, master." Noob pointed to the shadow beneath Enenra's feet, which seemed…to be controlling him, "He's my puppet now thanks to my shadow."

Liu Kang turned his attention to Enenra's 'shadow' and then to Noob, who lacked one. He was greatly angered by this turn of events, "You will release Enenra!" Noob paced around the room, Enenra copying his every move.

"No." Noob replied with a sense of smugness, "I am the leader of the Brotherhood of Shadow with Quan-Chi gone…I deserve this throne."

Kitana and Liu Kang chortled when he said that. Kitana talked down to him, "Is that so? Run along, then. We don't care."

She was hoping for an angered response, but Noob didn't give her the satisfaction, "You may be 10,000 years old, but it shows you are still a princess." She frowned at the mention of princess, "I am no princess! I am a queen now!" Liu Kang nodded, "And the Brotherhood of Shadow means nothing here anymore."

Noob shook his head, "And the Shaolin means nothing anywhere." The embittered ruler glared at the specter, "I am a Shaolin warrior no more, just as you are no longer Lin Kuei." Noob began his way out with Enenra following him, "Very well, but mark my words…Shao Kahn is back. I'm sure he'll be after you soon, I'm betting on it."

Kitana gave a concerned look to her lover, "Do you really believe him?" Liu Kang doubted it, "I felt something…but it isn't Shao Kahn. It can't be…unless the Elder Gods let him out."

"And not even they can be so foolish!" Kitana replied, feeling reassured about Shao Kahn's death. Liu Kang still reserved some belief in it, "…but we must have a back-up plan in case he is." They both thought on it…how could they beat Shao Kahn again? Of course, they'd have to use the revenants of the heroes who previously defeated him…minus Smoke, obviously.

"Gather the revenants!" Liu Kang demanded, "We will make sure that if Kahn is back, he won't be back for long." The queen got up from her chair, making her way to the wastelands of the Netherrealm, "They must be found."

Noob also had plans. He and his new henchman marched down the Netherrealm rather dramatically. As they did, more ninjas in all black outfits appeared beside them. They were fellow members of the Brotherhood. Soon there was a veritable group of them marching down the brimstone road.

"I have a plan…" Noob began, "I will go to Earthrealm and find Sub-Zero. With myself and Enenra, perhaps I can have him join us…"

Noob turned to his fellow Brotherhood members, whom he referred to as brothers, "Brothers, to help with the conquering of the Netherrealm, we must gather an army! Find as many Oni as possible…enslave them. Crack out the whips if need be! This realm will belong to who it rightfully belongs to instead of some stuck up princess and Shaolin warrior! We will reclaim our home!"

The Brotherhood cheered, and even various other denizens cheered too! They felt that unwitting revenants were not fit for the role of ruling the Netherrealm. Noob absorbed the attention he got, accepting it. The grin beneath his mask grew ever wider the more attention he was given. He motioned to Enenra, "Let's move on to Earthrealm, Enenra. Let us visit my brother…"

Noob's brother kept himself busy at the LinKuei temple as he was meditating with Hanzo Hasashi, otherwise known as Scorpion. Though they had once been rivals, they have since made amends with each other. Hanzo got up from the meditation, "I'm going to check the parameters, see if there's anything…wrong. I've got a sore feeling."

Kuai nodded at his friend, "Do as you will. You are welcome to explore the temple if you wish." Scorpion took off out of the rather empty room. Sub-Zero then noticed something in the doorway after Hanzo left. He squinted while noting the pure white eyes of what otherwise appeared to be an inky shadow. He finally recognized who this visitor was, "Brother?!"

Noob let himself in, "That's right." Sub-Zero couldn't believe it, "You…you died in the Soulnado! I saw you get sucked in!"

"As if that would keep me down…" Noob replied, snapping his fingers. As if on cue, another figure stepped in…a figure Sub-Zero would quickly recognize, "Smoke?!" Noob waggled his finger, "Not exactly…he goes by Enenra now. At least he would if he were still in control of himself.." Enenra stood by Noob with his arms crossed. Kuai looked in shock at his former friend, "What did you do to him?!"

Noob slowly walked over to his brother, "Saibot is merely possessing him, the rest is what happens when you're a revenant." The icy Lin Kuei stepped back from his brother until he stepped into a wall. Noob was right up to his sibling's face now, "I have an offer, Kuai. Perhaps you'd like to join me…"

"I would never join you!" Sub-Zero rejected without even letting his dear 'brother' finish. Nobb grabbed him by the neck, "You don't have a choice. We can finally be one as family just as you wanted…" Kuai slammed his hands into Bi-Han's chest, breaking free of the specter's grasp, "You are no longer family to me!"

A portal opened just behind Noob, "Then I will take you by force!" Sub-Zero froze Bi-Han, but he wasn't prepared for Enenra, who shoved him into the portal. Noob broke out of the ice and walked into the portal.

Hanzo walked in on this fight with literal fire burning in his eyes. Soon the flames consumed him entirely. When he stepped out he was fully decked out in Shirai-Ryu gear, including the classic hood and mask. He shot a spear at Noob, but narrowly missed. The former Sub-Zero motioned to Enenra, and then to Scorpion, "Take care of him."

Enenra nodded. Noob disappeared with Sub-Zero, leaving only the corrupted Lin Kuei and the last Shirai-Ryu. Scorpion pulled the swords from his scabbards as Enenra got ready to charge. They both stared each other down for a solid minute until Enenra went after the specter with fog filled fury. Scorpion too ran towards his newfound enemy.

His swords clashed against Enenra's gauntlets, which acted as a shield against the blade. He pulled back before teleporting behind him. He kicked him from behind, cracking Enenra's skull. Enenra went down to the ground. Scorpion was ready to finish him, but Enenra tripped the specter up. He pulled himself off of the ground, standing over Scorpion. Scorpion threw his kunai while yelling, "GET OVER HERE!" The kunai went straight into the left side of Enenra's torse. He gasped in agony, but before he could react much more Scorpion already pulled him over. The shadow that was controlling Enenra reached out and grabbed Scorpion's leg.

He was taken aback by this sudden move, so much so that he struggled getting out. Enenra fell to the ground. He was lifeless without that shadow. Soon Saibot reconnected itself with Enenra, causing him to revive. Scorpion shook his head as he got back up. When he regained his composure, he found that Enenra along with Saibot had vanished.

He looked around the empty chamber, hoping to find the coward but he saw nothing. He punched the wall of the chamber, leaving a dent. He then saw this as a new opportunity to pay Sub-Zero back for forgiving him. He'd have to travel the Netherrealm himself to find the younger Sub-Zero…and then find the older Sub-Zero for revenge.

He sliced his sword against the ground, opening a rift to the hellish depths of the Netherrealm. He hopped in without hesitation. The Netherrealm may've been dangerous, but Scorpion's power grew the longer he was in there. He will certainly kill Noob again should he get the chance…

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 _Well I know the first chapter was a bumpy start. I can't say I'm good with beginnings so I hope this was much improved from the previous one. I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did feel free to favorite it, follow it, or just leave a review. Even if you didn't enjoy it, feel free to tell me why. If you don't want to do any of that, then that's up to you. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Crushing the Resistance

_Author's Note: There is a point of confusion I want to clear up, although this is mostly in line with MKX and the continuity it set up there are definitely some AU differences if the previous chapters didn't make that clear enough then this one certainly will. Obviously Edenia was still with Outworld during the game but here it got separated. More details will be revealed later in the story itself. With that out of the way, let's continue on to the story._

* * *

Within the depths of the Netherrealm, a storm was brewing. Noob marched confidently through the Hellish landscape with Sub-Zero in tow.

"Where are you taking me?!" Kuai demanded to know. Noob did not bother to respond. "I asked where are you taking me?!" the younger Sub-Zero reiterated. Noob threw his brother on the ground, "You have no right to ask where you heading…not here. This is my realm."

Sub-Zero corrected his former brother, "Wrong. This realm belongs to the current rulers, not you." Noob stomped his foot on Kuai's chest, "Ignorant fool, the current rulers are incompetent. The Brotherhood of Shadow shall rise to remove them from their throne…making me the rightful ruler of this realm." Sub-Zero tried to speak out, but Noob's foot was slowly forcing the air out of his lungs. He could not get the words out, no matter how hard he might try.

Noob finally released his grip on the poor cryomancer, picking him back up. They walked a bit longer until they reached a gothic cathedral located within the Netherrealm's wastelands. Noob slammed the door open before tossing his brother up on the altar. Kuai looked around nervously as men dressed in black robes hovered out from the shadows. Noob's assault earlier tuckered the Lin-Kuei out so try as he might he was not able to escape their grasp.

One of the robed men announced something to Noob, "We have found the remains of the Oni known as Drahmin just as you asked. What is it you wish to do with them?" Noob's hand pointed to the table on the right, "Place the bones there." The robed demon figure obliged, arranging the bones on the table. Noob grabbed a mask from another robed figure.

This was an odd looking mask indeed. It had many colors on it but most notable were the colors turquoise, white, and gold. The face on the mask was ogre-like with dark black eyes and sharp teeth painted onto it. Firstly Noob raised it above the remains of the Oni while declaring, "Let the Face of Kun-Lo give life to you once more!" Secondly he placed the mask on Drahmin's skull, hoping for something to happen. His expectations were met since the bones started to shake. A green aura surrounded them, followed by strands of flesh wrapping around the once barren bones. Third and lastly the entire Brotherhood started bellowing ancient incantations that seemingly rushed the process. This had a consequence however as rotted flesh started wrapping around the Face of Kun-Lo, leaving it embedded in Drahmin's face.

Sub-Zero watched the entire resurrection in abject shock. Noob turned to his brother, "I hope you are enjoying what you are seeing, brother. It is not too different to what we shall be doing to you soon." Kuai had enough of being pushed around by the Brotherhood so he froze his two captors, shattering them to pieces. Noob ordered his men to give chase, which they obeyed without question.

Kuai ran out the door, confused as to where to go. He was entirely unfamiliar with the landscape of the Netherrealm so he impulsively just ran. Where did he run? He didn't care as long as it was away from Noob's insane cult. He then got an idea, he use his ice clone ability to create a duplicate of himself in the direction he was previously running. He then took a new direction elsewhere.

The Brotherhood finally caught up with the ice clone, one tried to haul it away but was frozen. The other cultists looked to each other with confusion. One of them commanded, "Search the entire Netherrealm! He must not escape!"

The manhunt for Sub-Zero continued on in the Netherrealm but in Edenia things seemed calm. Shao Kahn's satisfaction for claiming the now meaningless throne still ran strong. What pleased him even more was finding a rusty old warhammer lying upon the ground next to the throne it must've been left there from a previous conquest. He snatched it right up.

Just as he felt the weight of that hammer, he was reminded of his old Wrath Hammer. The Wrath Hammer was a mighty weapon that was feared by all who may've been unfortunate enough to come into contact with its power. Shao Kahn did not have long to reminisce on the battles of old as Ermac walked into the throne room, "Lord Kahn, We believe we know where a resistance force against your cause is. They can be found in the Edenian Bog to the south of here."

Kahn was absolutely delighted by this news, "Excellent…excellent. I shall go in alone and crush what little hope this resistance may have." Ermac questioned this course of action, "Are you sure you do not wish for Jade and us to come with you?" Shao Kahn shook his head, "I fear if Jade finds out too much she may realize who she really is. Keep an eye on her…like I said, I shall go in alone." Ermac kneeled before his leader, "As you wish, our lord."

Shao Kahn marched down the hallowed halls of the old Edenian palace, remembering the day he sieged the palace. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and not a cloud was in the sky. Not to mention Shao Kahn's soldiers were seemingly dwindling. How could he ever pull in a victory?

The answer was by unleashing his greatest weapon, himself. This was Shao Kahn in his prime, a primal warrior when need be but also a brilliant tactician. The Edenian guards kept their position in front of the pristine palace, waiting for Shao Kahn's army. What they got instead was just one foe rushing into the battlefield, that foe was Shao Kahn. They shot arrows but he deflected them with his war hammer, they used cannons but he avoided each and every attempt to hit him, they attempted using fireballs but again he avoided them. He was like a freight train, fast on his feet but also strong on impact. At this point, they charged into battle only to be met with a face full of the Wrath Hammer. They went in by the dozen but he absolutely devastated each and every single one of them.

When he was finished, the area just around the palace's tall gates were no longer a lush green grassy color but instead they were crimson bloodied red. The walls were covered in the red handprints of soldiers who tried to escape Shao Kahn's wrath but they were unable to. Not a single one survived the onslaught he had unleashed that day.

He then broke down the gate's door with his hammer, shattering it to nothing but wooden planks. He marched victoriously down the pathway to the palace, with nobody able to stop him it was a nice break until he reached the throne room. There he saw King Jerrod and Sindel sitting in their respective thrones. Sindel was even holding her and Jerrod's newborn child in her arm lovingly.

"Am I intruding upon something?" Shao Kahn asked sarcastically. Jerrod gazed into Shao Kahn's glowing red eyes, "Please have mercy, Shao Kahn…my child has just been born."

Shao Kahn chortled, "You know the rules, Jerrod…your realm lost to Outworld! Therefore it belongs to me now." Jerrod stood up from his throne, instinctively moving in front of his family, "I will not allow you to slay them." Kahn shook his head, "I'm afraid that I won't be slaying them, they shall be coming with me instead." Jerrod yelled, "No!" as he tackled Shao Kahn but Shao Kahn deflected him with the weapon he held in his hands.

Jerrod, now blood covered, hit the ground with a crunch. He looked up to his wife and child demanding them to run. Shao Kahn didn't even care, "They will be found later on. Why must you put off the inevitable?" Jerrod shook his head, "You will one day be defeated Shao Kahn…your own hubris will be your downfall."

Shao Kahn lifted his hammer into the air, directly above Jerrod's head. "Hah! Even if that happens you will still be dead, Jerrod." The emperor boasted. His hammer finally struck down on Jerrod's head, reducing it to nothing more than just a splatter on the floor. He took Jerrod's throne with psychotic glee, realizing he can finally merge Edenia with Outworld with nobody in his way. It was only a matter of time before he was able to find Sindel and her child. When he did, the realms were finally merged. Shao Kahn had proven himself not only as absolutely victorious but also as a major threat to all other realms that exist.

The Emperor finally snapped out of the past and back into the present. When he continued on his way to the bog. He left the palace, trekking down the once beautiful landscape. The ground was covered with craters, burn marks, broken arrows, shattered glass, and just general debris. It would be tragic to see it reduced to this if it were anybody else but to Shao Kahn it was rather cathartic.

It would take until night time for the Champion of the Elder Gods to finally arrive at the bog. It was almost completely different from the rest of Edenia and remained nearly unchanged from when he last saw it. There was more than just barren land here since it was filled to the brim with plants both large and small. It would be the perfect hiding place for guerilla forces looking to remain hidden.

Shao Kahn looked around the bog not noticing a single other person. He called out whatever may be there, "Whoever is there I demand that you show yourself! Perhaps if you do I shall grant you mercy."

Nobody responded. He stomped his foot on the ground, once again demanding that they show themselves. A vine was tossed out around his arm, wrapping tightly around him. Another one came out, wrapping itself on his other arm. Shao Kahn pulled on the vines, drawing out two men painted in green camo. The vines proceeded to snap before smashed them both with the warhammer he carried.

Other guerilla warriors popped out of the bushes that surrounded him, firing arrows at the former Emperor. Many missed but some actually did impale him. These did little however as he simply yanked them out with little hesitance.

More of the greenclad warriors popped out, charging into the battle with whatever makeshift weapons they had. Shao Kahn responded in kind by throwing magical glowing green spears right into their stomachs then consuming their souls en masse. The soldiers retreated deeper into the bog, hoping to escape with their lives.

Shao Kahn the Konquerer would not give them that satisfaction it was not in his nature. So he charged deeper into the swamp to find whoever may've been leading this force. Perhaps a deal could be reached…or perhaps he'd have to take them by force.

Each step he took could be felt throughout the rest of the bog, scrambling the retreating forces even further back. They could not go much further back however as Shao Kahn reached the center of the bog soon enough.

The center of it all was a decently sized body of water filled to the brim with murky green waters. The darkness of the bog was all the more noticeable in the center as it was covered with so much trees and various other plant life that it ended up blocking out the sky. Shao Kahn would almost be lost in the darkness if he had not spotted a flame in the distance.

He made his way towards the distant flame before feeling water beneath his feet. He stopped, noticing the flame must've been in the middle of the swamp's lake. He was ready to start swimming until a hand rose out from beneath the water, grabbing his ankle.

He smashed the hand with his warhammer, making it retreat. Then from the trees he saw fiery arrows heading straight towards him. "So they're trying to ambush me," he thought, "how pathetic, needing to retreat to the shadows." He avoided the lit up arrows easily, hitting the trees with the hammer. This knocked several trees over, sending the guerilla warriors down with them.

More of them popped out trying to flank the Champion of the Elder Gods. He looked at the circle of soldiers that had formed around him, "Now this…this is a battle worthy of Shao Kahn! Give me your worst, for I shall retaliate by bringing you death!"

As Shao Kahn's battle got fiercer, things remained peaceful at the ruins of the Edenian palace. Ermac was pacing around the decrepit halls with Jade, keeping watch over her. They remained silent, not having much to talk about.

That was until Jade turned to him, "I never caught your name, stranger. Who are you?" Ermac answered, "We are Ermac." Her head tilted curiously, "We?"

"Yes," he responded, "This body is a vessel for thousands of souls…each one having control." She rubbed her chin, "How odd, so are you each of these souls taking form or are you your own man?" He thought about this more than once and each time he never got an answer. He just stared at her silently with no response.

"Bad question…" she noted, before changing the subject, "Anyway, what is your relation to that Shao Kahn?" He finally broke out of his confused staring, "Oh right, right…Shao Kahn. He is the one who created us we owe our lives to him. He allowed us to live." She seemed almost baffled by that statement, "I do not trust him I only followed him so that he may lead me to my past."

"You should trust him." Ermac suggested, almost not believing his own words. She looked down to the ground, "Something…something tells me I shouldn't. I keep seeing these visions of what I assume are my past but…I don't get it." The soul composed fighter placed his hand upon her shoulder, "We…we are sure it will all make sense soon."

They were about to continue their conversation until they heard a noise coming from the palace's first floor. Both of them ran down the stairs, noticing someone walking in through the entrance. Ermac recognized the intruder, "Rain!"

Rain looked at Ermac, "I've been looking for you, Ermac. All of Kotal Kahn's men are enemies of mine." Ermac shook his head, "We do not work for Kotal anymore." The purple clad prince's eyes squinted, "That so? Is it because of Jade over there? I didn't think the love bug could bite you of all people."

Ermac crossed his arms, "It's because the real Emperor of Outworld is back." Rain's squinted eyes went wide at the mention of the real Emperor, "Surely…you do not mean Shao Kahn." Ermac confirmed his fears, "It is indeed Shao Kahn."

Jade asked Ermac who he was talking to, "Who…who is this man?" Rain was offended by her not knowing him, "What?! You don't remember me? I am Rain, rightful prince of Edenia! I am here to take this realm for my own." Jade shrugged, "I don't remember anything but you do not seem like you are worthy of this throne I will not let you take it."

"I didn't give you an option, lady." Rain threatened. Ermac stood in front of her, "She is right, you are undeserving of this throne." Rain took a combat stance as he stared them both down, "Who are you to judge who is or isn't deserving of this throne? You are not gods like I am. If you do not stand down, I will take it by force."

Ermac went straight in, throwing a punch at the pompous prince. Rain bent over backwards, avoiding Ermac's fist. After that, he shot of a stream of water at Ermac's feet causing him to slip over. Jade went in next, managing to kick Rain right in the nose. Rain stumbled back but still stood up.

"This is a losing battle!" he boasted arrogantly as his fist rammed into Jade's stomach. She was taken aback by this, giving him time to shoot water out of his fist. This blast sent her straight through the decaying wall. Ermac levitated Rain into the air then threw him back down. The crunching of Rain's bones could be heard across the room. He pulled himself back up, lifting Ermac into the air with a water bubble, "You maybe many, but what are many souls to a god?"

Jade slowly lifted herself from the ground, finding a stick next to her. She picked the stick up before batting it right into Rain's next, "For some reason…that felt really right." This attack made Rain drop the soul laden combatant. Not only that, but it also sent him to the ground temporarily. It did not take long for him to use a pillar of water to get back up however.

He looked at the dark skinned woman with a smirk, "You're strong, perhaps you'd like you join me as my queen?" She smirked back beneath her mask, "I'm sorry but you're not my type." The prince laughed at that, "You've got some sass but can you back your words up?" Ermac used his telekinesis to shove Rain into the wall, "Enough! We tire of your games!"

Rain struggled in his grasp to little avail. He couldn't even speak as Ermac was slowly choking him out. Jade ran over to Ermac, "Let him go! Show some mercy!" Ermac turned to her, "Why should we? Shao Kahn taught us to have no mercy on those that attack."

She could not give a reason but Ermac finally relented, letting the traitorous Edenian free from his grip. Rain went down with a thud, it was clear he was still alive but he was out of the fight. Jade warmly smiled, "Thank you, Ermac."

"We still do not know why we let go." Ermac mumbled, "But you're welcome we suppose. Now what are we to do with him?" Jade shrugged, "I'm unsure, I think you'd be better in making this decision." Ermac wondered what they should until he got an idea, "We must wait until Shao Kahn comes back. Only he may decide."

Shao Kahn wouldn't be back at the palace for a while, as he was quickly annihilating the Edenian forces with ease. Eventually they finally relented as one begged, "Please stop! We retreat!" Shao Kahn finally obliged, "Have you finally come to your senses? Good, good. I wish to see your leader." The cowering soldier kneeled before the self-proclaimed Emperor of Edenia, "Yes of course, we are sure she wishes to see you as well."

He motioned to other warriors in the trees. The followed his commands, using pulleys to pull out a bridge from the lake's waters. When the bridge was pulled out, torches lit up allowing Shao Kahn to cross it. He marched triumphantly over the bridge to a platform floating in the middle of the lake. Atop the platform was a humble little hut that was made of sticks and twigs. He busted down the door, demanding to see the leader.

Sitting in the only seat of the hut was a woman dressed in yellow with skin darker than even Jade's. Shao Kahn recognized her, "Tanya…you lead these warriors?"

She looked at the Emperor with contempt, "Shao Kahn, I had heard the rumors from my soldiers. I didn't believe it until I heard you tear through most of them."

"Are you impressed?" Shao Kahn asked with a sense of arrogance in his voice. Her face remained as a scowl, "Please, your savagery will get you nowhere." He laughed at that comment, "Really now? It got me this far, what's to stop it from taking me further?" She snapped her fingers, signaling for guards to drop in through the huts windows. The guards surrounded the warlord but just one simple glare from his burning red eyes was enough for them to back down.

"What are you doing?!" she questioned. One of the guards answered, "We have no chance! He's destroyed more than half of our army in just one night!" Shao Kahn crossed his arms, "So you pledge your servitude to me?" The guards kneeled, "Yes, Lord Kahn."

"Why you lily-livered cowards…I'll have your heads for this." Another guard spoke up, "This might be a bad time but we have also received news that Rain has been capture by Kahn's men." Shao Kahn took this time to brag, "You doubted my ways but here we are, your finest man has been captured and your army surrendered. What say you, Edenian?"

Tanya's eyes directed themselves to her former soldiers then to Shao Kahn himself. She decided that her life was more important than what pride she may gain from dying at Shao Kahn's hands, "Alright! I give in! But do not expect me to beg for my life!"

The Emperor demanded her to beg while raising his hammer, "Beg for your life if you wish to keep it!" She turned her head away, refusing. He was about to strike her until something stopped him. That something was the Elder Gods themselves, providing divine intervention for once. No matter how hard he might try, Shao Kahn could not finish her. He thought, "Why do you hold me back, Elder Gods?! If she does not beg for life, how can I trust her?!"

They gave no answer, so Kahn decided to finally give in, "Fine. I shall spare you yet, Tanya. But if I ever find you conspiring against me, then I shall finish what I started here." She showed her gratitude, "You have made a wise decision…Lord Kahn."

He victoriously raised his hammer in the air while once again laughing, "I am now one step closer to conquering this realm once again! Tanya, have your men start reconstructing the Edenian Palace right away! I want a fortress worthy of my glorious visage…"

She begrudgingly got on her knees for her new master, "As you wish. Guards! You heard him, get to that palace! Start fixing it as soon as possible!" The guards obliged, vanishing in clouds of smoke.

Kahn finally had a loyal, albeit small, army at his side once again and soon he would have a grand palace to go with it. This was indeed a large step of gaining a foothold in Edenia. As unlikely as it seemed Shao Kahn just might be the one to reunite Edenia after it had been at war with itself for years…


	4. Returning to Power

Lightning is merely a force of nature, is it not? It's neither good nor evil and nobody can predict where it could next strike. This adage also holds true for the God of Thunder in his current state. It has become increasingly clear that Raiden was becoming unfit for his job as protector of Earthrealm. Yet nobody wanted to be the one to tell Raiden this for they feared being on the receiving end of his unhinged wrath. Only one other god was willing to submit the plight of other Earthrealmers to the Thunder God, and he was the Wind God.

Fujin knew exactly where to find Raiden and that would be the Sky Temple. He arrived at the temple on a bright and quite clear day. The sun was shining and not a single cloud as in the sky but he found that the more he approached the Sky Temple, the more that the bright blue sky became clouded out with blackened clouds. When he came closer, the clouds began shooting down lightning and crackling thunder! A storm was constantly raging at the Sky Temple but this storm was more intense than usual. A bolt of lightning even nearly hit Fujin. Had he not dived out of the way, he surely would've been killed by the electricity. Fujin got back up with a worried expression, "This is most unlike Raiden. He would never attempt to strike me unless…he knew why I was here."

Fujin wrapped himself up in a gust of wind, approaching the Sky Temple faster than he would on foot. He burst through the Sky Temple's door, finding himself in the main hall. The main hall of the Sky Temple was deceptively simple. The main attraction of it was the stairwell that led up to the higher levels, which there were plenty of. It would be easy for Fujin to get lost were it not for him hearing something coming from the Jinsei Chamber. He rushed up there, fearing the worst but what he found was something most disturbing.

He saw the dark Raiden in a circle comprised of the corpses of the first generation of the Earthrealm heroes who were murdered during the events of Outworld's invasion 20 years ago. He was only missing a select few that were already arisen from their graves. Fujin screamed, "Stop this madness, Raiden!"

Raiden turned to his windy counterpart with a spiteful grimace, "Hello, Fujin. I know why you're here." Fujin gulped, "Y-you do?" Raiden confirmed Fujin's suspicions, "You are here to revoke me of my position as Earthrealm's protector." Fujin nodded in a regretfully, "Correct, Thunder God. I do not wish to do this, but you leave me with little choice with what you're doing right now."

Raiden folded his hands together as his grimace turned to a menacing scowl, "Tell me what's wrong with what I am doing right now? I am merely resurrecting Earthrealm's greatest warriors."

"You are raising them as inhuman husks!" the Wind God objected but Raiden still felt as if there was no problem, "And? They will then serve me with no question, unlike the naysayers they originally were. I am Raiden, Protector of Earthrealm. Nothing will prevent me from protecting this realm, not even the humans in it. Their lives do not matter, they are merely mortals. What matters is the realm itself, the realm is eternal. As long as it exists, I will protect it."

"You…you've lost your mind!" Fujin yelled with the hope slowly draining out of him, "What is a realm without lives?" Raiden answered calmly, "It is a realm at peace. These mortals have wasted my time long enough, along with the Elder Gods. They choose only to interfere and help me in my darkest hour when the rules of their outdated Mortal Kombat have been broken? Yet when I go 'bad' they instantly call upon you and Shao Kahn to try and take me down?! I tire of these games. For all of eternity I've put up with it, but now…I will put up with it no longer!" Fujin tried to get another word in, but Raiden tackled him to the ground, "You are either with me, or against me Fujin!"

Fujin blew Raiden off, forcing him on the ground, "Then I am against you, old friend." Raiden growled in frustration, "Then you are a threat to this peace of Earthrealm, I am left with no choice but to subdue you. Come peacefully or I will take you down by force."

The Wind God shot out a gust of wind at the corrupted Thunder God but he avoided the attack with ease. Fujin was not as fortunate as a ball of electricity got him right in the chest, sending him down on the ground. Raiden picked his windy counterpart up by the neck, "I would almost be sorry for this…almost." Many volts of electricity were jolted through Fujin's body, he screeched in agony as Raiden slowly tried to finish him off. He broke free out of Raiden's grasp but after that scuffle, he was in no condition to fight so he took off in a tornado as quickly as he could.

Raiden looked upon the retreating Fujin with disdain, "Pitiful coward, run back to your Elder Gods! I don't need their permission to protect this realm."

He then turned to the corpses he had gathered from their graves with a sinister smirk, "I will have kombatants for the Mortal Kombat tournament against Outworld, even if the Earthrealmers do not wish to participate…"

Back in the Netherrealm, the search for Kuai Liang continued on both Hanzo and Noob's ends. It was inevitable that the both of them would run into each other and when they did a confrontation was sure to happen. Scorpion found his way on a bridge that connected one part of the hellish realm to another. Beneath it was a river of flaming hot lava. This left Scorpion undeterred until he felt something try to push him over. The Shirai Ryu nearly faced death but narrowly avoided it by rebalancing himself.

He looked behind himself, seeing three Brotherhood of Shadow cultists standing behind him. The cultists tried to grab him but he elbowed one in the face and clonked the other two's head together afterwards. He picked one up as he asked, "Where's Sub-Zero?!" The cultist chortled loudly, "That's what we want to know." Scorpion unceremoniously tossed the cultist in the river of fire beneath them, "Then you are of no use to me."

The other two zealots took Scorpion by the arms. They seemingly had him until he shook them off. The robed warrior fell onto the ground, looking defeated. Scorpion scoffed at their efforts, "Pathetic, absolutely pathetic." Before he could leave, one grabbed his leg causing him to trip up. The cultist got back up, still holding Scorpion's ankle in his clawed hands. He dangled the former wraith just a hair above the lava beneath them, "You will serve the Brotherhood or you will die."

Scorpion counterattacked by flipping back onto the bridge, sending the cultist into the lava instead. He looked at the final cultist with his eyes turning from normal to a blank white. He inquired just one thing, "I thought you freaks worshipped Shinnok…and he's gone. What's your game now?"

"Our game is to take back the Netherrealm to its rightful owners, us," the zealot answered, "Shinnok proved to be a failure of a god, we no longer worship him. Who we worship now is Noob Saibot, the warrior who was strong enough to survive a Soulnado! He will bring greatness to the Netherrealm once again! He will unite us under one! We will—" before he could finish his little rant, Scorpion knocked him over the edge mid-sentence, "All I needed to know."

He marched on with anger boiling inside of him. Though he had made amends with Kuai Liang, Hanzo's feelings for the other Sub-Zero brother were still quite mixed. Speaking of the younger one, he was still trying to figure out a way out of the Netherrealm. He seemingly found his way out when he met a woman who seemingly wasn't out to get him. This woman had short darkened hair with a single white streak. Sub-Zero greeted her, "Excuse me miss, but I have a question."

She turned to him as if she knew what he was looking for, "Looking for a way to escape?" He was baffled that she knew, "Why yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for. How did you know?" She sighed longingly, "That's what many others look for, even me." His head went down when he heard that, "So I take it you don't know a way out."

"I do, actually."

"You do?" Sub-Zero inquired, "Where is it, then?" She nodded, motioning for him to follow her, "Allow me to show you." The two walked together in silence until Sub-Zero spoke up, "So…what is your name?" She introduced herself, "I am Sareena, former member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. I happen to know all about you, Sub-Zero."

He gasped when he heard her say his name, "But…how?" She explained, "I knew your brother, the elder Sub-Zero. He too was trapped here until I helped him escape." He slightly smiled, "He was a good man, wasn't he?" She smiled back, "He helped me realize that…there's more to me than just being a demon." The two of them remained quiet after that, not having much else to talk about.

They finally arrived at a large upright stone circle, the very same one Shao Kahn used to escape from here. She pointed towards the gate, "That's your way out. Goodbye, Sub-Zero." He looked at her, "And you are not leaving too?" She shook her head, "I'm afraid not the Netherrealm is my home and it is where I will stay." He grabbed her arm, "You deserve to leave this place just as much as I do, Sareena." She pulled out of his grasp, "I can't leave. If I do, in due time I will revert to my demonic form. This is the only place where I am able to retain my more human looks for long."

The younger Sub-Zero continued his attempt to persuade her, "Sareena—" but she still declined, "You must understand, I cannot go. You must hurry before the Brotherhood finds you here."

Another voice interjected, "I believe it's too late for that." Their gaze turned to where the voice came from and it was Noob, "I knew I'd find you here. Trying to leave so soon, brother?"

Sareena noticed when he said brother, "Brother…? Wait, Sub-Zero?!" Noob chuckled, "It's been awhile, hasn't it Sareena? Things have changed since we last met. I no longer go by that name." She couldn't believe it, "You can't be elder Sub-Zero! The Sub-Zero I knew worked against the Brotherhood…not with them."

"I'm not the Bi-Han you knew, I'm better than that," Noob bragged, "I, like you, broke free of Quan-Chi's control but unlike you I'm going to use my newfound freedom to take this realm as my own." Kuai glared at his former sibling, "What makes you think we'll let you get away with that?" Noob doubted his younger brother's conviction, "What do you mean by we?" Sub-Zero's hand motioned towards Sareena, which only made Noob smugger, "Her? She wouldn't betray her old friend like that, would she?"

Sareena looked at the two brothers, she knew Bi-Han and once even held feelings for him but she stood by Sub-Zero, "You are _not_ my old friend. Like you said, you're not Bi-Han you've changed." This seemed to actually affect the wraith, his gaze turned away for just a split second before it turned back to them, "Then…I suppose you've made your choice. I can't change that but I can remake you like I was remade."

They both backed away when he mentioned that. "What…what do you mean?" Sareena asked with the fear growing inside of her. Noob grew a psychotic grin beneath his facemask, "You will become my bride, Sareena. Together, we will rule the Netherrealm. Kuai will be remade too and we'll be a family together."

Sub-Zero shot out a ball of ice but it was intercepted by Enenra. "Enenra can be part of it too!" Noob added. Enenra remained silent at the proposition but both Sareena and Sub-Zero were clearly against it. "Never," Kuai objected, "I refuse to become like you." Noob's grin turned to a scowl, "I don't think I gave you a choice." Before they both could attack, Liu Kang's revenants came in to save the both of them. Noob and Enenra vanished before they could attack. Sub-Zero got ready to fend the revenants off but they didn't seem hostile, in fact they seemed quite friendly.

"We are not here to fight you," Kung Lao stated calmly, "We're here to talk is all." Sub-Zero let his guard down, "Alright fine. What is it about?" "Follow us," Stryker suggested. Both the cryomancer and the demon were quite suspicious of their true intentions. "If you really wanted to talk, then you'd do it here," Sub-Zero pointed out. Sareena agreed with that sentiment, "We aren't moving. If you want to talk, then we talk here."

The revenants talked amongst themselves before reaching a conclusion. "We'll have to get the king and queen here immediately, then," Sindel spoke out. Kung Lao nodded before vanishing to retrieve them.

With all the chaos going on in the other realms you'd think Edenia would be toiling all the same but for once in a long time, things were quiet. The cannons, mortars, and clashing weapons of various opposing factions were silenced by Shao Kahn's sudden hostile takeover. No warrior wanted to be the one who were met with a mallet in the skull in an effort to oppose him.

He sat upon the throne in the Edenian royal palace, which was being renovated by what was left of Tanya's guerilla soldiers. His pride grew stronger from the lack of opposition for it showed that nothing changed since he was resurrected. He was the same frightening savage of a monarch that people feared more than a millennia ago. Rain walked into the throne room, kneeling before his new leader, "We have combed the wastelands yet there are no signs of any Outworld spies so far."

Shao Kahn was pleased by this news, "Good, good. Perhaps that Kotal Kahn knows better than to try and instigate anything." He sat there for a solid minute before asking Rain a question, "Tell me, Rain. Just what has transpired in Outworld since my absence that would allow Edenia to split like it did?"

Rain turned to his emperor, "It is a long story, Lord Kahn." The warlord cared not for how long it was, "I have all day to listen, I wish to know." Rain folded his hands, bowing before him, "Just as well, your majesty…"

"It all started when you had died," Rain started to explain, "our realm was split between two sides. The side that felt Mileena should become empress and those that felt she was unworthy of the title. Yet those who did not back Mileena did not have a leader until Kotal Kahn came into the picture. He seemed like the perfect leader to them. At that point a civil war started in Outworld, I was aligned with your daughter as was Tanya. Deciding to end the civil war, we needed a place to set up a new ruler ship. That place was Edenia."

Shao Kahn stopped him, "Why Edenia of all places?"

"Tanya and I wanted it freed, so Mileena followed."

The Emperor laughed a hearty chortle, "Tanya? She who helped sold it out in the first place? She must've had a deeper agenda."

Rain gulped, "Deeper agenda my lord? Surely you are mistaken."

Shao Kahn said no words as all need to do was merely look Rain in the eye. The Edenian prince buckled beneath his glare, "Alright, alright we were going to betray Mileena and take Edenia for ourselves!" Kahn's stone cold glare did not relent as he spoke yet again, "What happened to Mileena?" Rain answered with a hint of faux sorrow, "She was betrayed but not by us, but by D'vorrah."

The Emperor tilted his head at that name, "Who?" "D'vorrah," Rain answered, "it's a long story. She was sided with us until she tried to claim Edenia for herself. That's when it fell apart. Our side and D'vorrah's side went to war. Alas neither side was strong enough to overcome the other. It did not help that Kotal's armies began marching back in to try and reclaim Edenia for Outworld."

"Well I have located one side of this conflict myself, what of the other?"

"You mean D'vorrah's," Rain inquired. Kahn nodded to which the half-god responded, "We do not know where that pitiful bug lies, but we will search everywhere until we find her." Kahn was pleased by this promise, "When you do, tell me. I want to squash her myself." Rain agreed, "As you wish."

Kahn pointed to the door, "You are dismissed, Rain." Rain nodded and bowed before exiting the throne room diligently. As soon as he left, Ermac floated in. He kneeled before his creator, "Master, we have a question." Kahn motioned his hand, showing Ermac was allowed to speak on.

"Well," Ermac continued, "we were wondering how much longer we would be keeping an eye on Jade. Surely this charade cannot last much longer."

"We must keep it up for as long as we can, Ermac. Until further notice you must keep watch of her. Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She was roaming the temple—" before the soul composed warrior could finish they both heard a loud crunch and screaming. Kahn rose from his throne, marching out of the room and to where they heard to scream. As he walked in, he saw Jade standing over a fallen Tanya. Kahn growled, "What happened in here?!"

"I…I don't know, something just came over me," Jade answered. Ermac floated in soon after his master, "We heard screaming. Why is Tanya on the floor?"

Jade backed away from the both of them, "Something about her just made me lose control, as if we did not get along before my memory wipe." Kahn was equally as impressed as he was angry about all of this, "Make sure it does not happen again, or else you will be the one on the floor next time." Ermac came to her defense, "She could not help herself, our emperor. Next time she will be able to control herself, we're sure."

She smiled at him as he defended her. Kahn noticed her smile while fearing the worst in his mind. He sneered as he turned to the soul composed warrior, "Perhaps you were right, Ermac. You are dismissed from keeping an eye on Jade."

"Sir that is not necess—"

"Yes it is. You will now comb Edenia with Tanya, when she recovers."

"But who will keep an eye on her if we shall not?"

"Rain will, effective immediately."

Rain rushed in as soon as he heard his name, "Do not worry, dear emperor for I shall watch her like a hawk." Jade raised her finger, "Do I get a say in this?"

Kahn raised his hand to her face, "No." Rain placed his arm around her shoulder, "Don't be so worried for I will keep just as good of an eye on you as Ermac does." Her head cocked back as he moved closer to her, "Well if you say so." "Oh I know so," the Edenian half-god replied with suave confidence. He started marching off with her in tow. She turned back to Ermac waving at him.

This gesture confused him but he thought nothing of it. Shao Kahn smirked as she was hauled off by Rain, "There Ermac, aren't you glad to have that burden removed?" He lowered his head, "Of course, our liege." The emperor patted him on the back, "I knew you would be."

Back in the Netherrealm, deep within the Brotherhood of Shadow's compound Noob returned. His rage was palpable as when one of his worshippers hovered over to them, the wraith picked the cultist up by the neck. The cultist looked at his master with pleading eyes but that did not help as Noob tossed the cultist. Enenra caught the flying cultist, placing him safely back on the ground. Noob continued into the hideout until he found himself in his very own throne room.

The walls were made out of brimstone, a dark red variety of it. Four glass tubes filled with magma shot out of the walls and into the back of the throne. The throne was stone gray in color with openings, revealing the magma that flowed from the tubes and into the throne. Beneath the throne was a glass panel, revealing more magma that went through the tubes. Noob sat upon his throne, resting his head against his fist. He groaned, "How could they reject my offer, Enenra?"

Enenra remained silent, unable to speak his mind. Inside Enenra was Tomas who was screaming to break free of Saibot's control, yet he could not express these feelings of wanting freedom yet Noob's shadow kept him silent. The wraith ran his fingers across the armrest of the throne, "Doesn't matter anyway, they will be forced into it whether they like it or not. Just like you, actually. I might grant Sareena the ability to speak but only if it's what I want to hear."

The smoky wraith still did not respond. Noob got up from his throne choosing to make his way for Enenra. He placed his hand on his unwilling partner's cheek, "Ahh yes, you are quite a good listener. Maybe I'll keep them like you, they'd all be much better this way." Enenra had no emotional response to that. Noob chuckled sadistically, "You know what? I will, thanks for convincing me. Now kneel." The shadow beneath Enenra took a knee, forcibly making him kneel along with it. Noob lifted his arm up, forcing Enenra to suddenly jolt back up without warning.

"They're probably being tortured by the hands of the pathetic king and queen of this realm anyway," Noob noted, assured that they'd get punishment if not from him then from them. He paced around the room, "Yes but I still need both Kuai and Sareena for my army, they would be quite strong additions to it." Enenra finally spoke up in an almost liquidy voice as it sounded as if he was constantly gargling something, "What of Shao Kahn? He still exists." Noob shrugged the emperor off as nothing, "He has no stake in the Netherrealm so we needn't worry about old Shao Kahn."

Enenra's suspicions were not quashed by Noob's reassurance, "If his talk of being the Elder Gods' champion be true, he may yet have a stake in our realm. He will try to stop our uprising and put an end to both our and Liu Kang's side." Noob hadn't considered his talk of being the champion but again he did not seem to care all too much, "That's just talk of a madman, Enenra! He is no champion of the people for he is merely a delusional psycho trying to rally people under him by claiming such a thing."

"Not unlike yourself, yes?"

Noob raised his finger, seeming like he had a response but he lowered it back down. He just remained silent while looking at his assistant. His gaze turned to that of rage, "Who are you to make such observations? Perhaps my chains on you need to be tightened." The gray wraith pleaded with his master, "No! You…you don't need to do that, I'm sorry!" Noob shook his head, "I never said you got to have freewill, Vrbada. Even what slightest bit you have left is too much." Noob snapped his pitch black fingers, making Saibot forcibly throw Tomas onto the ground. Tomas struggled against his invisible attacker yet it was a fruitless effort.

The shadow faded away, making it seem like he had a chance for freedom? As he was about to find out he could not be more wrong as a pitch black oily substance started leaking out of his eyes. His vision was going blurry, but he could still feel the substance leaking out of his mouth. It seeped through his mask, covering his face entirely. As more dripped out, he violently coughed. Even if he could not see this horrid liquid cover his body, he could feel it. The feeling was a tingly sensation running down his spinal cord, leading it through all of his nerves. It was an indescribably bizarre sensation that overwhelmed his entire body. He let out one last scream before whatever this was covered his entire body.

Noob motioned upward with his arms, making Enenra rise. This new Enenra was mostly black much like his master, yet the orange veins he used to have are still there along with the burning orange eyes. The smoke rising from his body was no longer a cloudy light gray but a smoggy black. Finally, Enenra threw his facemask to the ground, revealing that beneath it he no longer had a mouth he could use to speak up against Noob. It seemed like he was finally perfect but Noob seemed like he was not pleased yet, "You're looking good, Enenra. Much better than before might I add, but yet this process isn't done just yet." Enenra's stiff stance did no change at all when he said that.

Noob pointed forward, which made the newborn wraith walk in said direction, albeit in a jerky and unnatural fashion. Noob was satisfied by this but he still knew there was more to this to come. For now though, he would focus his efforts on Liu Kang and his army. Then he would soon take the advice he had heard from what used to be Enenra and worry about Shao Kahn…


	5. Building a New Army

Sub-Zero and Sareena awaited the arrival of King Liu Kang and Queen Kitana rather anxiously. The two were unsure of why the corrupted heroes were now willing to bargain, perhaps out of desperation against their new enemies. They both felt these suspicions were true but neither said a single word to each other. They remained silent and vigil. Finally, the two regally dressed leaders arrived. The two pairs bowed to each other. Liu Kang was the first to speak up, "Greetings Kuai, greetings Sareena." Sub-Zero responded calmly, "Hello Liu Kang, what brings you here?"

"We were hoping that you were willing to assist us," Kitana answered with a hint of desperation in her voice, "Our enemies are growing stronger and we need help to fend them off." The half-cryomancer was slightly bemused by this, "After you tried to attack Earthrealm? Why should I help you?" Liu Kang brought up a very good reason, "Raiden is as big a threat to Earthrealm now as we are, if not bigger. Earthrealm alone cannot fight him you need us as much as we need you." Sareena agreed, "He's right, Sub-Zero. Perhaps a bargain can be reached." Sub-Zero sighed, "Normally I would agree but yet you worked for Quan-Chi, this is not unlike a trick that he would pull."

Liu Kang balled up his fist yet Kitana placed her hand on his shoulder, calming him down. He remained as rational as possible, "Do you really think we could pull something so underhanded?" The half-cryomancer nodded, "Yes, yes I do. You're not the same Liu Kang I knew. You don't want what is best for Earthrealm you want what can keep you in power here. When Raiden is gone, you will try to take it for yourself."

"What are you saying, Liang?"

"I'm calling your bluff," Sub-Zero responded. Liu Kang sneered, throwing a punch at the Lin Kuei grand master. He slid beneath the punch then froze up Kang's legs. Liu Kang broke out by burning out of the ice. He attempted to kick the cryomancer yet Sareena pulled him back and tossed him into a nearby pillar. Kitana appeared behind Sareena, ready to stab her. The demoness turned around, grabbing Kitana by the wrists. She kicked Sareena in the jaw, sending her into a nearby wall. Sub-Zero got back up, shooting a ball of ice at the queen. The ball hit her right in the back of the neck. She fell to the ground with a loud snap.

Sub-Zero then leapt up above an incoming Liu Kang, leaving an ice clone beneath him. Liu smashed right into the ice clone, freezing him up. Kuai came back down with a dropkick, sending Liu to the ground next to his beloved. The victorious Sub-Zero stood over both of them, "To think you were once the champion of Mortal Kombat. Your time on that throne has slowed you down considerably." Kang looked back up with contempt, "I…I just didn't think you would have gotten so much stronger in the time you've been gone!"

Kuai's victory was short lived as more of the wraiths appeared. Kung Lao took him from behind, grappling him by the arms. Sindel kicked him in the stomach hard enough to rupture it. Sareena tried to intervene yet Sindel screamed right in her face, allowing Stryker to get in a good right hook. The king and queen got back up, worse for wear but still standing. Liu Kang motioned for them to be taken to the dungeon. The specters agreed, dragging them both away. Kitana looked almost remorseful as they were taken away, "What are we going to do with them?"

"We will either bring them to our side, or we will have them executed and brought back as wraiths."

"I will try to convince both of them," Kitana volunteered, "Should I fail, we shall go through with the second option." Liu Kang agreed to that, "Very well." Though she looked like she was fine with the second option, inside she felt quite differently, "I shall hope it does not come to that, though."

The next day, in Edenia, Shao Kahn stood proudly in front of his growing army. Their masses were growing stronger by the day. What was once a small guerilla group was becoming just like Shao Kahn's old Outworld militia. Their once stained green and gray cloth wraps that could barely be considered clothes were now silver plated armor with skull helmets much like Shao Kahn's own. Their weapons went from scrappily made bows and arrows, stone axes, and wooden clubs to shining steel swords, long sharpened spears, and cannons that were as powerful as can be. These weapons and armor were forged in a rusted abandoned foundry that was found by Tanya's guerilla group. It was not until Shao Kahn returned and built up their group were they able to fully take advantage of it, though.

He paced in front of the army, ready to give his orders. He started, "We have come so far in such little time, as to be expected of a militia under my command!" They all saluted him with glee, for once they felt they all were united under a common cause.

"This is far from the first time I've managed to gather an army from nothing," Kahn continued. He was obviously referring to when he killed Onaga the Dragon King, former ruler of Outworld. Shao Kahn was a loyal general under the Dragon King's regime, his very best in fact. He was to Onaga as Reiko was to him. Yet even Onaga's best soldier could not take on the mighty Dragon King head-on, not yet. So he decided to rally Onaga's own troops against him as a secret instigator of rebellion. It worked like a charm. Each time Onaga had gathered his men, they all booed his ideas and some even took to trying to murder him themselves.

By the time his regime was coming to an end his paranoia of his own men had gotten so bad that Onaga chose to murder nearly each and every soldier under him. After his vicious slaughter, he brought each of them back as immortal undead warriors with the souls of those he had killed. They were eternally loyal to Onaga and Onaga alone. Only one outside of this new militia remained and it was Onaga's seemingly most loyal soldier, Shao Kahn. Kahn only revealed his true intentions when it was too late. It happened as the two talked about what was next for Outworld.

"I just don't know what to do with Outworld, Shao," Onaga sighed, "there is someone out there who is turning everyone against me. It's probably one of those Tarkatan creatures. They can't be trusted you know."

A far younger unmasked Shao Kahn sat on the opposite side of the throne room. Kahn stroked his chin, "It is weird isn't it how someone could just turn an entire army against you. They seemed so loyal too."

The Dragon King smiled at his general, "At least I can always count on you, my friend." General Shao smiled back, "Always and forever, emperor. Let's put this stress behind us, I've got us wine imported from Earthrealm." Onaga questioned this, "Imported Earthrealm wine? Is that in our budget?"

Shao Kahn poured them both a glass handing one over to the Dragon King, "Of course. Please take a sip, I insist."

Onaga took a single sip and when he did he clutched his chest. The wine had been poisoned! It took effect immediately as the Dragon King stumbled onto the floor, sprawling his body out. Shao Kahn stood over his emperor with a sick grin forming over his face. It was with that grin, Onaga realized who his true enemy was. He looked to his advisor with pleading eyes. With his final breath he spoke, "How could you…?" Kahn kneeled to his former master's level. "You do not deserve Outworld," he answered.

That was it. The Dragon King was no more and it seemed Outworld was free of his horrible dictatorship. Shao Kahn at first even seemed like a benevolent new ruler yet as time went on, he became more power hungry. So much so he stopped caring about his own realm, choosing to instead focus on other realms ripe for conquering and merging. Nobody exactly knows what caused him to go from a promising ruler to just as bad if not worse than what preceded him but nobody would dare ask.

But that was more than a millennia ago. Back in the present day, Shao Kahn continued, "We will find the traitor known as D'Vorah and we will have her executed for all to see! When that day comes, Edenia will finally have a chance to rebuild! We will be united under one cause!" The soldiers all cheered Shao Kahn's name when he finished his speech. He motioned them away, "You are all dismissed!" The soldiers marched out in an orderly fashion.

D'Vorah was in hiding, deep in the Edenian wastelands. She didn't have much of an army left seeing as how most were killed by Shao Kahn's new troops. She paced around her little hut, wondering what else was left for her. This was when a crystal in the hut began to glow. She picked the crystal up, "What is it you desire?"

"I desire to see Shao Kahn eliminated," a voice coming from the crystal demanded. "This one is without an army as most were slaughtered by that very monster." The voice groaned, "You have lost them all? I shouldn't be too surprised. I will have the Brotherhood of Shadow arrive soon. They should be more than enough to handle Kahn's army. Should they fail you will pay the consequences." D'Vorah nodded, "Thank you, this one will have him killed."

She didn't have to wait long as shadowy demons rose all around the lone hut, gathering around outside. D'Vorah wringed her hands as the innumerable amount of soldiers had arisen. "That makes things much easier," she muttered to herself. She flew out of the hut pointing to the giant Edenian palace within the distance, "The master wishes to see that tower crumble to the ground! Bring it down!" The Brotherhood demons saluted her, running off to the palace. It was at this moment D'Vorah thought she had won but her victory was not written in stone.

Back at the palace, Rain was keeping a watchful eye over Jade. Almost too watchful some might say. His arm was around her shoulder as he confidently gleamed, "So how've you been today, Jade?"

She turned to him with a deadpan look on her face, "You should know, you've been watching me all day." He turned away, "Oh yeah, so I know you're doing pretty superb under my watch." She sighed, "I'm just doing okay."

"Which is perfectly okay in my book!"

Before the two could talk anymore, they heard yelling outside. Rain looked out one of the windows, seeing the Brotherhood throwing spears, stones, arrows, and whatever else was in their arsenal at the palace. Jade gasped, "We've got to do something!" The Edenian prince disagreed, "No, I must watch you. Make sure you never step out." She glared at him while getting up from her seat, "I can handle myself."

"No you can't. You're still an amnesiac," Rain reminded her. She sat back down, "You're right I'm not ready to fight." Ermac appeared behind Rain and used his telekinesis to slam him right into the wall, "We disagree. You are just as ready to fight as ever." She got back up while smiling, "Thank you, Ermac."

The two leapt out the window, charging into battle. Shao Kahn's new untrained guerilla soldiers were no match for the Brotherhood, but Ermac and Jade were a different story. As the soldiers got tossed aside, the pair fended off the Brotherhood quite well. That was until an Oni snuck up on Ermac from behind and smacked him with a massive ball and chain. The Oni roared as Ermac was thrown onto the ground. Jade tried to fight the beast but it was too strong, sending her to the ground as well. The Oni screeched as another came up from behind in a familiar mask.

"I think we're just about done here, Moloch," Drahmin said with a prideful tone to his voice. Moloch growled in reply. Drahmin agreed to whatever he said, "Noob is indeed a benevolent leader. For what he did to us, Quan-Chi isn't missed."

Their joy was cut short as they saw the Brotherhood army being mowed down. Members of it were being thrown around left and right. Drahmin gulped as he saw what was incoming. It was Shao Kahn! He was _livid_ as he tore through the Brotherhood without breaking a sweat. The dried up Oni pointed Moloch to Shao Kahn. Moloch charged at the Champion of the Elder Gods without second thought. He threw his massive ball at him, but Shao Kahn deflected it using his hammer. The ball went flying, dragging Moloch with it. The massive demon went right into the wall of the palace. Drahmin was next in Shao Kahn's sights. The smaller Oni stepped away from the intimidating monster of a man yet he kept approaching. At that point, Drahmin stopped. He said but one thing to the former emperor, "No matter what you may do, I will always pledge my allegiance to Noob Saibot, lord of the Netherrealm!"

"That is your decision." Shao Kahn said as his hammer slammed right into the master torturer's chest, causing him to explode into bits of gore. Shao Kahn confidently stood over the mess...until the body parts started reconnecting. Shao Kahn turned to the now reforming Drahmin with shock, "What's going on here?!" Drahmin laughed maniacally, "I don't know, but I think I like it." Drahmin whistled, summoning Moloch yet again. Moloch wrapped the chain around Kahn's ankles, tripping him up. After that, he smashed the ball into his ribcage causing them to shatter. Even with that, the former emperor got back up without feeling much worse. He bashed Moloch's face in, causing the eye on his forehead to go flying out. The brute did not retreat even after that as he rammed his head into Shao Kahn's stomach. Kahn was thrown into the desert sand by the attack.

Drahmin called his partner off, feeling pleased by this. That was until Ermac got back up, lifting Moloch into the air. Drahmin turned to the soul filled warrior but could not react as Jade bashed him in his spinal cord with her staff. Drahmin collapsed into the dirt. After that, Ermac slammed Moloch onto Drahmin which let out a loud **CRUNCH**. The two stood over their fallen foes, looking much worse for wear. Shao Kahn had gotten back up, staring at his fallen opponents. He was actually impressed by this victory, "You've actually managed to defeat them. Perhaps I shouldn't separate you two, you fight well."

Jade bowed and Ermac took a knee. Ermac proceeded to motion to the two fallen Brotherhood generals, "But what do we do with them?"

Kahn pondered what to do with them but then he had an idea, "Interrogate them. Find out why they're here. They might lead us to D'Vorah. When she's gone this realm will be mine and mine alone." Jade corrected him, "Do you not mean ours?" Kahn quickly went back on his word, "Yes yes of course I mean that!" Jade cocked her head questioningly, her suspicion of Shao Kahn growing. Despite this she went along with that anyway, "Mmm, right." She turned to Ermac with concern, "May I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Ermac didn't get to say anything before Jade dragged him away from the suspected dictator. She asked him, "Do you think Shao Kahn isn't what he's saying he is?" Ermac gulped while tugging at his collar, "Well we uhhh…errrm you see," he almost wanted to tell the truth but in the distance he could see Shao Kahn staring daggers at him so he lied to her anyway, "of course not. Shao Kahn is our benevolent leader. What reason would he have to lie?"

She took note of how he hesitated yet she went along with him, "Alright, if you say so. I'll believe you, Ermac." The soul composed ninja gave a sigh of relief, "Let us not let our suspicions get in the way of our latest victory! Let us rejoice instead." Shao Kahn called them back over to which they obliged.

Watching in the distance was D'Vorah, who felt frustration for how this all turned out. She groaned with contempt, "This one has tried everything to counter Tanya and Rain but how is this one to counter Shao Kahn? There is no way the previous tactic of having wormed into his army will work, he is far too angry at this one for having killed his daughter…yet the master will also kill this one for having failed." She wondered what was left to do besides turn herself in but was left without answers. But then it struck her! She'd assassinate Shao Kahn as he slept. With most of his forces in the infirmary after such an attack who would keep watch over him? Yet she would have to wait for night time to come until that could happen.

Elsewhere, in Outworld, Kotal Kahn sat in his throne room, awaiting a visit from Reptile. The emperor was hoping to hear news of what happened to Ermac who had disappeared many days ago. He had hoped to see Reptile but instead he saw a familiar face march through his door.

It was the thunder god and protector of Earthrealm, Raiden. Yet Kotal could tell Raiden had changed since their last meeting. He stood up from his throne, "Thunder god?! State your business here! What brings you to my throne room?"

Raiden chortled as he marched over to his throne, "I want you to stay away from Earthrealm, Kotal. I am willing to achieve that goal by any means possible." The Osh-Tekk nervously chuckled, "Is that all? After what happened with Shinnok I would not dare, trust me." Raiden sneered at the emperor, "Just like how many times Shao Kahn said such a thing?" Kotal sneered back at him, "Do not compare me to Shao Kahn! I am not like him!" The thunder god agreed, "You're right, at least he proved a challenge." Kotal was made only angrier by that, "What are you saying?"

"I'm challenging Outworld to Mortal Kombat," Raiden declared. Kotal was taken aback, "You…you cannot just challenge someone like that, can you?" The thunder god smirked, "Yes I can." A divine light then shone down upon the two of them. Raiden laughed and Kotal gasped as it did. The voice of the Elder Gods spoke out, "The decision for the merging of the realms will be decided through Mortal Kombat!" Kotal looked up to the light pleading that there must be another way yet he was denied as the light vanished.

Raiden crossed his arms, "You heard them, Kotal. I hope your forces are ready. I know mine are." Kotal turned to Raiden with a desperate look in his eyes as he got on his knees, "Please! You are making a mistake! I beg of you, thunder god! This rivalry between realms…is it not getting old?" The thunder god turned away, "I agree, it is getting old hence why this tournament will put an end to it." After that, Raiden marched out as soon as he came in. Kotal got back up, placing his face into his hands.

"Not only must I deal with this tournament, the rumors of Shao Kahn having returned are becoming hard to ignore," Kotal muttered to himself, "What of Ermac too? How am I supposed to handle all of this?" That's when a purple robed figure floated out of the shadows. Kotal was taken by surprise by this, "Who are you?" The robed figure introduced itself, "I am someone who is interested in Outworld's best interests." Kotal smashed his fist into the wall in frustration, "That answers nothing! Who are you?"

"Something that can help you," the figure answered vaguely. Kotal was getting tired of this so he just moved onto the next question, "Why are you here?" It replied, "I know of something that can help you." Kotal considered this suggestion, "How can I trust you?" The figure shrugged, "You can't, but you are not left with many options are you?" Kotal did not say a word, knowing that whoever this creature was happened to be right.

"What do you know?" Kotal asked. The figure answered accordingly, "The Dragon King's undefeatable army. Use that." The Osh-Tekk had heard tales of the Dragon King's immortal army yet he never gave them much consideration until now. Without many other options left at his disposal, Kotal decided this was his best bet. He asked one more question, "Where do I find this army?" The robed figure motioned to the Living Forest, "There is a lone temple with occasional energy surges deep in the Living Forest. You will know it when you find it." Kotal took note of this but before he could thank the strange figure, it had vanished. Kotal was unsure of all of this but what other options did he have left? He called in Reptile soon after. Reptile kneeled, "There are ssstill no sssignsss of Ermac anywhere, my lord."

Kotal motioned for Reptile to rise, "That is unfortunate but we have bigger problems. It seems Raiden has challenged us to Mortal Kombat but after our previous encounter with them our forces are dwindling. We need more and I have been led to more. The Dragon King's army must be found."

The Zaterran's eyes widened at the mention of his army, "Sssir nobody hasss ever found hisss army sssince Ssshao Kahn had them along with Onaga himssself locked away." Kotal then pointed something out that changed everything, "I have heard it is in the Living Forest. I want you, Erron Black, and Sheeva to head out there. Find the army before the tournament. It is our only chance." Reptile saluted his emperor before walking out the door. Kotal saluted him back, "May the Elder Gods grant us mercy upon this day…"


	6. A New Regime is Born

The Living Forest was one of the most nightmarish places in Outworld. It was filled with trees that could eat you alive, vagabonds willing out to either kill or rob a person, creatures of all kinds of varieties, and so much more worth avoiding it. Yet Reptile, Erron Black, and Sheeva of Kotal Kahn's regime were exploring it, hoping to find something that could save them. That something was the Dragon King's immortal army.

The three of them marched through the forest with caution, with Reptile leading the pack. His reptilian sense of smell was their best bet at possibly finding where this army might lie. It was a long shot, but these were indeed desperate times for all involved. Reptile and the others trekked through the woods cautiously, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

"Now jus' how're we 'sposed to find anything out here," a doubt Erron Black asked. Reptile turned around, "Do not doubt my sssenssse of sssmell, if there truly isss sssomething interesssting out here I will find it."

"Then how come you ain't found nothin' out here before, then?"

"It's because nobody was looking for this before," Sheeva interjected, "have patience. We will find something, our realm depends on it."

The mercenary was quick to remind her, "This ain't my realm, only reason I'm here is because Kotal pays well. I might just ask fer a raise 'cause this wasn't in the job description."

"And jussst what did the job dessscription for a job like thisss even sssay," Reptile asked sarcastically. Erron gave a fake chuckle, "That's real funny, scales. So funny I think I might repay ya fer it." He aimed his gun at the Zaterran but Sheeva stood between the arguing villains, "If this continues, I'll put both of you in the ground."

"I was jus' kiddin'," Erron tried to justify but Sheev wasn't having it, "You were aiming at your comrade! That is unacceptable behavior." Erron laughed that off, "I got safety turned on, you ain't got nothin' to worry about!" As he twirled his gun, a shot rang off showing that safety was indeed not on. The Shokan merely glared at the cowboy, her red eyes staring right into his soul. Erron holstered his weapons, "Okay okay, maybe these things don't have safety. Oops?"

Sheeva groaned, "I will ask of you to not speak for the rest of this journey. If you do, I will rip all of your limbs off at once." Erron was taken aback by how sudden that was, "Whoa hey that escalated quickly." Before the two could continue arguing, Reptile motioned for them to become silent. Erron turned his head to him, "What is it?"

"I heard sssomething," Reptile answered, "that gunssshot mussst've alerted sssomeone of our presssence." Sheeva glanced at Erron who turned away when Reptile said that. It did not take long for the others to hear what Reptile heard. They heard stomping deep within the woods. Not only did they hear it, they felt it. The stomping grew louder and the forest shook as it did. Sheeva stood in front of the other two, "Stand behind me."

Reptile and Erron followed, standing behind the Shokan warrior. She stood her ground as she finally got a peek of what was coming to them. It was Goro, the exiled former prince of the Shokan. Yet he had changed. His clothes were rags and his hair was loose instead of being tied up. Lastly and most notably is that he had a long and scraggly beard. Sheeva almost instinctively bowed before him but stopped herself, "My princ—err I mean Goro? What are you doing here?"

"These woods are my territory now," he proclaimed while taking a defensive stance, "you are not permitted here." Erron took aim at the burly beast, "You got a permit, fella?" Sheeva motioned for him to holster his revolver, "We are only looking for something, Goro. Let us look and we will leave you at peace." Goro growled at her, "You lie! You are part of the very same dynasty that had me exiled for not wanting the Shokan to work with Kotal Kahn!"

Sheeva growled back at him, "You should've swallowed your pride if you did not wish to be exiled, then. I am Queen of the Shokan now and as such you should listen to me." Goro scoffed at her, "I was exiled therefore I listen to nobody. Leave these woods now." The three of them stood still, enraging the former prince. He growled and charged at them. Sheeva grappled with him but it was clear that even when he hadn't fought in so long, Goro was still top dog. She struggled against him but that's when Reptile spat acid right in his eyes, temporarily giving Sheeva enough time to shove him away. Erron took over and took potshots at him. The former prince ran at Erron but Reptile lashed out his tongue at Goro's ankle, tripping him up.

Goro attempted to pull himself back up yet Sheeva leapt in the air and landed down on his back. When she landed, he let out a loud yelp as a **CRUNCH** rang throughout the forest. After that, he lifted himself back up which caused his fellow Shokan to fall off his back. When she fell, the exiled prince picked her back up by the head and slammed her repeatedly into a tree. Erron rolled a sand grenade beneath Goro. It exploded, slipping Goro up while he dropped Sheeva. Reptile leapt up on Goro's chest, hacking acid up on his face. Goro snatched up Reptile's ankles crushing them in his big hands just before tossing him away. He struggled to get back up, but he did. His face was half melted thanks to Reptile's repeated attacks but he's recovered from worse.

Sheeva then took notice to something, "Didn't you lose two of your arms?" Goro nodded, "I did. They got better, though." Erron aimed both of his revolvers at him, "How'd you do that?" He only answered vaguely, "What you're probably looking for helped I imagine."

"How do you know what we're looking for," Sheeva questioned. Goro gave a smug smirk, "It's the only reason worth coming to the Living Forest for these days, unless you want to be slaughtered by Tarkata that is." Reptile got back up, his shattered ankles barely affecting him, "If you lead usss to what we are looking for, we will leave the foressst." Goro shook his head, "That won't do. I want back into the Shokan fold. I tire of this exile."

Reptile turned to Sheeva, the only one who could decide that. She considered it for a solid minute before agreeing, "I shall agree to your terms, Goro. Yet there is one condition, you will accept Kotal Kahn _and_ you will not return to your status as prince. Not until you have earned it." The former prince sighed as he hung his head, "Very well, Sheeva. Follow me."

Erron and Sheeva followed yet Reptile hesitated. He looked around the forest, taking note of the surroundings. He couldn't help but feel he was being watched. He caught up with the others after they called after him. Even still, he could not shake the feeling of being watched.

Elsewhere back in Edenia, things were finally settling down in the Edenian royal palace after the Brotherhood of Shadows' attack on it. Everything was peaceful. Most of the guards were in the infirmary while most others were sleeping which made it a perfect time for D'Vorah to sneak in. She silently hovered in through the window, keeping an eye out for anybody who could be in the hall. Luckily for her, nobody was.

She snuck around, hoping to find Shao Kahn's throne room soon. Luckily for her, she would not have to wait as she found it instantly. He was sleeping in his throne with his hammer by his side. She smiled as a pair of stingers popped out of her wrists, "This should be easy."

Suddenly and unexpectedly, someone dropped down from the ceiling. That someone was Tanya who surprisingly defended the emperor, "What brings you here, traitorous scum?"

"That's ironic coming from you," D'Vorah replied smugly. Tanya sneered, "Because of what you did, it took longer for Edenia to be liberated _and_ it caused a split so it was never truly free." D'Vorah laughed at that, "Is that what this is about? This one cares little for this realm as is only someone else does. The hive only does as he wishes…for now."

"Planning on betraying someone else?"

"Maybe, but that comes later. Now, I'll kill you." Right after saying that, D'Vorah charged at Tanya with her stingers at the ready. Tanya ducked beneath her and did a handstand. D'Vorah charged right into her legs, allowing Tanya to trap her between them. She squeezed as hard as she could yet the Kytinn creature stabbed the vengeful Edenian right in her thigh. Tanya let go of her opponent, backflipping away. D'Vorah took to the air before swooping down at Tanya. Tanya was caught in D'Vorah's grasp quite easily. Various insects began to cover the Edenian woman up as she screamed in terror. It seemed it was hopeless, even if Tanya were able to destroy the body the bugs inside would just be able to escape.

But that's when Tanya figured out what to do. Her hands lit on fire, burning up the insect all around her. The would-be assassin gasped, "The hives' bugs!" Soon the fire spread from the insects to D'Vorah's whole body, causing her to drop Tanya. Tanya landed safely yet the same could not be said for Kytinn who crash landed while still in flames. While her outer shell remained flame proof the insects on the inside could not handle the heat as they burned to a crisp, a fitting death for someone who liked killing people from the inside out. She reached her hand out to Tanya before collapsing. Her insides were all fried except for one bug which tried escaping. It seemed it might've were it not for Shao Kahn's hand, which reached out and squashed the insect.

He laughed as he heard the tiny screech of the little creature. Tanya looked over to her master, bowing before him. Shao Kahn in return clapped slowly, "Impressive, Tanya. I was unsure of your loyalty to me, but I can see you're far more loyal than I could have predicted." The Edenian fighter shook her head, "I am not loyal to you, but I am loyal to Edenia. As of right now, you are what is best for us…even if that would not be the case under most circumstances."

"It's always the case! Shao Kahn knows best," the egotistical leader proclaimed as he picked up D'Vorah's exoskeleton, "I think I'll hang this from my wall. It'll look nice, don't you think?" Tanya nodded in agreement, "Oh yes, it's what she deserves to be remembered as."

Jade, Ermac, and Rain soon walked into the throne room. Ermac asked, "What is the meaning of all this noise?" Tanya explained, "Someone attempted a little assassination attempt. I prevented it." Rain seemed quite pleased by this revelation, "Serves her right I'd say." Jade was rather indifferent to this while Ermac was just glad that his creator was okay, "You are not hurt, are you Lord Kahn?"

"I am just fine, Ermac," Kahn answered. He turned to Ermac, finally taking note of his emaciated appearance while stroking his chin. Ermac cocked his head, "What's the matter?" Shao Kahn shot a blast of green energy into Ermac sending him to the ground. Everyone in the room was shocked by this, especially Jade. What reason would he have to do such a thing to one of his most loyal soldiers? She stared at him with a mix of contempt and horror, "How could you do that?! Have you no heart?!"

Shao Kahn remained silent which only made the concerned Edenian angrier. So much so Tanya and Rain had to restrain her. To her relief, Ermac rose back up from the ground without sustaining injuries. Not only that, but his body was no longer deteriorating. In fact, it was the strongest it had been in years. Surging green energy crackled around his body as he had risen, "We…we are stronger again." The Champion of the Elder Gods smirked at his now stronger minion, "I have restored your old power, Ermac. You may no longer live in fear of your body dying."

He then turned his attention to Jade, "As for you, your attempted attack on me will not go unpunished." Her relief turned to fear as she gulped. Ermac stepped in between him and her, "Wait! She is undeserving of such punishment. She thought you attacked us for no reason. Concern for a fellow comrade is no reason for any punishment."

Kahn growled in frustration, ready to shove Ermac aside to instill his punishment on the Edenian yet something prevented him from doing so. His body remained still when he wanted to move. He thought, "This must be the work of the Elder Gods! They dare prevent me from inflicting the proper punishment?!" He eventually stopped trying leaving Jade as she was, "Very well. I will not punish her, but another slip up will not be tolerated."

The construct of souls actually smiled at this, "This act of kindness will not go unnoticed, our lord." Jade gave a sigh of relief, "Thanks for defending me, Ermac." Ermac thought nothing of it, "You are as much part of this army as we are after all." Shao Kahn grimaced with this, "Everybody return to your posts right now! That's an order!"

All of them obliged, leaving the throne room to leave Shao Kahn be. He returned to his throne with his head resting in his hand. He tapped his foot impatiently while tapping his fingers on his armrest. "Act of kindness? Bah, I don't need any of that to rule. I am Shao Kahn, my name alone should make people obey me," he mumbled to himself. His grimace only hardened the more he thought about it, "This business as the Elder Gods' Champion is worse than I could've imagined! Who are they but mere toothless worms to try and control me like that? How can I rule if I can't punish those who deserve death?" After that, his mind went silent as he fell asleep in his throne again.

Elsewhere in the Netherrealm, Noob was waiting to see D'Vorah was successful in her assassination attempt. A Brotherhood of Shadow cultist bowed before Noob before reporting on what happened to her, "D'Vorah's attempt on Shao Kahn's life did not go so well, master. We lost many men to him _and_ she happened to be one of them. I am sorry." The darkened wraith wasn't angered by this in the slightest, "A significant loss indeed, but I don't think we have much to worry about. I was planning on ending her life as soon as she got back anyhow. Her past shows she cannot be trusted."

The cultist agreed, "Her betrayal of Kotal Kahn shows she lacked loyalty, we could not have that." Noob folded his hands, "Yet we still must find a way to kill Shao Kahn. If he really is the new Champion of the Elder Gods that means he will surely come to shut us down soon. We will find a way, but for now we must work on eliminating the unworthy rulers of this realm."

"But how will we achieve such a thing?"

"Simple," Noob started to explain, "we infiltrate. I will have Enenra head back to them, saying he has broken free of my control. Though they might be 'evil' now, I know there is good in their hearts which is why they're unworthy of the throne. Enenra will claim to have convinced others of our clan to join them too. They will be all too willing to accept them what with their dwindling forces. When all is said and done, there will be only one ruler of the Netherrealm." Enenra marched in, saluting his master. Noob pointed to where Kitana and Liu Kang resided through the window, "Go there. Take the Brotherhood with you. You'll know what to do."

That's when Noob paused, forcing Enenra to come back to him. Noob hopped down from his throne to his loyal minion. He gave him a good look, "Hmph. You don't look like you'd go to them for help just yet." That's when Noob smacked him across the face, Enenra was unfazed by this. Noob continued his beatdown as the other cultists watched. They watched not in horror but with patience. The wraith kicked his knees in causing them to snap, then he bashed Enenra over the head with a loud crack resounding through the room, lastly he twisted his elbow inward which broke his arm .Noob finished his onslaught upon his puppet by throwing a sword straight through his stomach. Again, Enenra stood still as this all happened. Noob nodded as he looked at the beaten down Enenra, "I think that should do." Enenra turned back around to continue on his way out, the sword still in his stomach.

Many cultists followed after him. Noob sat back down on his seat, feeling rather confident in his plan. Would it actually work or would it prove to be a folly plan?

Speaking of Kitana she was conversing with the younger Sub-Zero, Kuai Liang in the dungeon of their tower. He was shackled to the wall and she was standing in front of him.

"We need your help, Kuai," she begged, "your brother is slowly taking away our forces. We need all the help we can get."

Kuai looked away from her, "He is not my brother, not anymore." Kitana sighed, "I know how you feel. I lost someone close to me as well you know." Kuai did not respond. The former princess continued on anyway, "Quan-Chi did something to my best friend…I'm not sure what. He never told me. Each time I asked, he changed the story. I just wish I knew."

"Then why do you continue to do as he would want," the cryomancer asked. Her eyes hardened, "I'm not."

"You're wrong. This endless conflict between this realm and Earthrealm is what Quan-Chi would want."

"I can't change what he turned me into," Kitana tried to justify but Sub-Zero wasn't buying it, "There's still good in you. He's gone now so it's possible to break free. Just like Sareena did." After saying that he held out his hand, "All it takes is a strong will." She looked at his hand, wanting to accept the offer but she stepped away, "No. Liu Kang and I are finally together. I won't ruin it like this." Kuai looked her in her eyes, "But is this how you want to be together? He is not the same, not after his death." She looked away from his gaze, "He has every reason to have changed! What Raiden did to him…what he did to us…"

"He has a right to be mad at the insane thunder god, yes," Sub-Zero agreed, "but he has no reason to want to rule this realm besides spite. And spite justifies nothing."

The former princess felt like a victim for all of her life. She knew Liang was right but she didn't want to admit it for fear of being manipulated, "I am no longer a victim. This suits me, it suits us."

"You say that but deep down you know you're a victim to Liu Kang's manipulation and a victim to Quan Chi's control."

"Liu Kang would never manipulate me," she denied, "he loves me!" Kuai Liang hung his head, "He may have at one point. That man is dead, though." Kitana pulled out one of her sharpened fans, pressing it against the cryomancer's neck, "You're about to be too if you don't shut your mouth."

Liang looked down at the blade still as calm as ever, "You're quick to pull out the weapons, another sign of denial. You won't actually do it, though." She slid it across his neck not puncturing anything, "I will, don't doubt me!"

He remained silent to her threats. She did not take well to this as she left a small cut in his neck. Try as she might however, she could not go further than that. Kuai looked back at her, "Are you finished?" She nodded, "I…I can't kill you, something won't let me."

"That's Quan Chi's control wearing off. You know you have no good reason to kill me, so you won't let yourself do it. Come on, Kitana, you know you're better than this so instead of me joining you, why don't you join me?"

She considered it for a second but denied his offer, "I can't. But I thank you for your concern, even if it is unneeded." She marched out of the dungeon back to Liu Kang.

"How did it go," he asked her. She shrugged, "It…it went alright, I suppose. Give me some more time I'll be able to convince him yet."

Liu Kang rubbed his temples, "We don't have that time! Don't you understand?! This is a war! We don't have time in a war!" She tugged at her collar, "Look, we don't need to kill him. I'm sure of this." He frowned at this suggestion, "Give him time to escape? You're growing soft, Kitana. I'm almost disappointed."

"But…" she tried to negotiate but Liu didn't give her time to finish as he stood up from his seat, "I will finish him myself!" Kitana grabbed him by the shoulder, "We might be rulers of this accursed realm, we might be undead specters, but that gives us no reason to be savages! Calm yourself, Liu!"

The fallen champion forcefully removed her hand, "Silence! This isn't being a savage it's doing what needs to be done. Nobody will oppose us." As the two fought, something crawled in through the door and collapsed beneath them. Both looked down and saw it was Enenra! Kitana gasped, "Enenra?! What happened?!"

Enenra looked up to her with eyes that were leaking out a black substance. Liu Kang knelt down to get a better look, "It was Noob Saibot, wasn't it?" Enenra nodded slowly, confirming it was him. Kitana removed his mask, revealing his mouthless face. She covered her mouth with her hand in shock, "He made it so you can't speak either…"

Liu Kang turned him over and yanked the sword out of his stomach. Kitana picked him up off the ground, "You're going to be okay. I promise."

Following after him were Brotherhood of Shadow cultists. The two prepared for a fight but were instead greeted with them kneeling before them, "We need your help."

Liu Kang was interested in their proposal, "Do you now? What did Noob do to you?" The cultist answered with a hint of fear, "Nothing yet, but what he did to Enenra showed we are just as vulnerable to his insane rage. We want to help you take him down."

"How many of you are there?"

The zealot pointed towards the multiple Brotherhood members now absolutely filling up the room. Liu Kang smiled deviously at them all, "This works. This works nicely. You all have yourselves a deal."

Kitana was unsure of how to take this but she went along with it, "You will all make valuable members to the Netherrealm regime."

"Yes they will," a familiar voice concurred. Liu Kang turned to his throne, seeing Noob Saibot sitting in it. He growled, "What are you doing here?!" Noob laughed, "I'm claiming what's mine, obviously." He snapped his fingers, forcing Enenra to get off the ground, "I must give Enenra and my men credit, an absolute five star performance from all of them. They sure fooled you."

Liu Kang called for the other revenants yet they did not show up. He looked around, "Where are they…?" Noob motioned to a group of cultists who were carrying their passed out bodies, "As if I wouldn't have others take care of them before now."

Liu Kang charged a punch, throwing it right at Noob but Enenra dove it and took the hit for his puppet master. He fell to the ground, limp and lifeless. It seems he had killed him. Kang snapped towards the corpse in horror, "Wha..what?!" A group of cultists restrained Liu. He broke out of their grasps with ease yet another set of them tripped him up and stood on him, essentially keeping him on the ground. Kitana tried to remove them but Noob intervened, shoving her onto the floor then stomping on her head effectively knocking her out. Noob chortled yet again before taking a sword to Liu Kang's throat.

"How about you give me your throne," Noob demanded. Liu Kang turned away from him, "You'll never claim my throne! I'd sooner die than give it to you." With little hesitation, Noob cut right through Kang's neck, cutting his head right off. Noob shook his head, "As you wish, 'my lord.' What an idiot." Noob walked away from the body, "Dispose of the remains immediately, I want all traces of Liu Kang's time as ruler to be erased."

A cultist started dragging the body away, "Where are you going, master?"

"I'm going to the dungeon, people who I want to see are down there," Noob answered as he headed down to the dungeon. He began looking around as he noticed something that piqued his amusement. What he saw was the decapitated head of Shinnok, "Oh this is adorable."

He picked the head up with a delighted glee, "He who left me to rot in the Netherrealm alone after being kicked into the Soulnado, reduced to nothing but this. I love it!"

His delight turned to anger as he saw two sets of frozen over shattered shackles. He yelled, "They escaped my grasp yet again?! **How?!** "

He made his way back up to the throne room enraged by this development. Making things worse was that when he stepped into the throne room, he saw that Kitana was gone too. He bitterly looked around the room while clenching his fists. Enenra got back up from the ground, comforting his master. Noob turned to Enenra, "Your physical shell is slowly shattering. Allow me to finish the job." He conjured up black smog around Enenra causing the orange veins on his body to glow. This glow soon overtook his body as he shifted into a newer form made entirely of smoke. Noob placed a metal mask with shining red eyes upon Enenra's face. His transformation was complete which distracted Noob from his rage about his captives escaping.

Soon after that, two minions of his came into the room with someone who was very important to Noob in their grasp. That person was his killer Hanzo Hasashi, AKA Scorpion. They tossed him down to Noob's feet as the newly crowned wraith grinned, "Even if those two escaped my grasp this more than makes up for it."


	7. A Realm United as One

A day later within the Living Forest, everyone arose from a well-deserved rest. They had been trekking through all night so they set up camp and slept. When they awoke someone was missing. "Where'sss Goro," Reptile asked as he scouted the campsite for him.

Sheeva was quick to assume that he betrayed them, "He must've left us here! We're stuck in the middle of the Living Forest with no trail out!" She yelled out Goro's name to which he responded by walking back into the campsite, "What?"

"Where did you go," the angry Shokan queen asked. Goro shrugged with all four of his arms, "I was out fetching a meal so we don't starve to death, _your highness._ " She growled at him, "I don't like your tone." Goro growled right back while flexing, "I don't like traitors to their kind." Erron stood between both of them, "Both a' y'all can settle yer royal disputes when we leave this wretched place. We need to keep goin' so we can find this immortal army."

As those three fought, Reptile stayed out of it. Instead he searched the area, still feeling like he was being watched by something. That's when his nostrils picked up a peculiar odor. He sniffed around until he recognized the scent. "Tarkata…" he muttered to himself. He tried to sense out where the smell was coming from until he paused, realizing the smell was coming from _everywhere._

He looked to his fighting comrades while yelling, "We're being ambussshed!" Everyone looked surprised except for Goro. The exiled prince stepped back as the Tarkatan stood by his side. Sheeva smirked, "Please tell me I'm not the only one who's not surprised by this. What's the matter, can't be prince of the Shokan so you have to resort to being a prince of _these_ ravenous dogs?" Goro sneered at the queen, "You are nothing but a false queen!" One of the demonic half-breeds placed a raggedy cape upon his leader's shoulders. Goro crossed his arms, "Thank you." The Tarkatan hissed and roared at their opponents but the prince stopped them from attacking just yet, "Hold on! I want to make a deal with you rats."

Erron shot cocked his reliable revolver not even looking at them, "That so? What makes y'think that we can trust you now that you've betrayed us?" "Fair enough," Goro agreed, "I'll let you all die a warrior's death at least." The half-breeds charged at the Kotal's three remaining champions with the ferocity of a pack of wolves. Erron rolled out sandbombs everywhere, taking out a good chunk but not enough. He fired his gun at the rest of the incoming horde but surprisingly they deflected his shots with their arm blades. He gasped as he was overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. His gunshots rang out throughout the forest yet even his most used weapons could not save him.

Sheeva was next, trying a more defensive tactic by staying in one place. The horde came for her next. She stood her ground defiantly while grabbing as many of the Tarkata as possible with her multiple arms. She tossed some into the trees to be eaten which again, took out quite a number of them but yet they kept coming. Her fighting spirit kept her going until a blade went right into her backside. She had made sure none behind her were able to fight yet she was mistake. She turned around seeing that one of the Tarkata currently being chewed up by a tree was insane enough to tear out the blade in his arm to throw it at the queen just to get one last hit in. This left her open as at least a dozen of the foul beasts tackled her, sending the dazed Shokan down.

Goro laughed heartily, "Looks like we've got them down for good! Excellent job, gentlemen." One of his warriors pointed out one little flaw in their victory, "What of the lizard?" The Prince of the Tarkata gave a condescending look, "You mean Reptile? Oh please, with his performance in previous tournaments he should pose no threat to us." The warrior was about to argue against that but soon agreed for fear of being executed, "Yes, of course. What could he do to us?" Goro started marching away with his cape dragging behind, "Come on, men. I am a Shokan of my word after all so I'm taking them to the tomb of the Dragon King."

They all followed, dragging Erron and Sheeva with them. Reptile glanced at the leaving army from high within the trees, "Ssso he thinksss I ssshall possse no threat, hm? We ssshall sssee, Goro. We ssshall sssee…"

Back in Edenia, a grand feast was being held in the newly restored dining hall of the grand palace. Everyone was there from Jade to Tanya even the newly crowned king of Edenia, Shao Kahn, was there to celebrate the defeat of all opposing forces in Edenia. Before the meal could begin, Shao Kahn wanted to say a few words.

"We are gathered here today," the champion began, "to celebrate the death of the Kyntinn known as D'Vorah! With her gone, Edenia can finally begin to rebuild in my image! The civil war here has officially ended, so says Shao Kahn! Now…let us feast upon this meal! This will be the first meal ever had under a new regime, _my_ regime!"

Everyone cheered for him, which was unusual. It had been a millennia since a realm was willing to rule under Shao Kahn. Nearly everyone there remembered the atrocities Kahn had committed in the past but now they were more accepting of his rule. Perhaps it was because they thought he had changed being the Elder Gods' champion, perhaps many were biased being from his previous rule, or maybe just maybe it was because a rule under Shao Kahn was better than the anarchy this realm had previously gone through.

King Kahn half smiled at the cheering before telling them all to calm down, "Now that that is out of the way, we can discuss what is next for this pitiful realm." Rain was the first to throw out a suggestion, "I vote we instill a second-in-command now that we have decided you are our leader." Shao Kahn went along with this, "Very well! Who here wishes to lead as my second?" Nearly everyone sitting at the long rectangular table vied for the position but Kahn picked one of few who decidedly didn't.

"Ermac," he proclaimed loudly while pointing towards the construct, "you will lead these armies as my second hand man!" Ermac looked around the room in shock, "Errr…us? Master we are flattered but we feel we are not worthy of the job." Rain agreed with that sentiment whole-heartedly, "He isn't! Someone else should go!" Tanya suggested herself, "I personally think that I would be the best candidate!"

Shao Kahn shut them both down immediately, "You _both_ have shown disloyalty to both Kotal Kahn and myself in the past, I still do not fully trust you." Both of them slumped back in their seats disappointedly. Soon all the soldiers at the table began chanting Ermac's name in the hopes of motivating him. Ermac looked at everyone at the table cheering his name, including Jade. He then turned to his master who was still glancing at him.

"We graciously accept your offer," Ermac responded with a grin forming on his face. Nearly everyone at the table cheered while clanging their mugs of grog together. The king was pleased by this outcome, "Excellent! You have shown the most ferocity and skill on the battlefield. Not only do you have skill, you have also proven yourself as loyal to me and only me over time." The only one seemingly upset over this was Rain, who glared at Ermac. The construct turned to him with a confused look on his face, while he was happy to have the job he was still unsure just why he got the job in the first place.

"Now," Kahn continued, "with that out of the way, we must begin reconstruction of this place's many landmarks. The foundry and this palace are next to completion, but what of the village?" A general spoke out, "With the foundry in fully functioning order and with weapons having been made we can focus it along with the construction team to rebuilding the village. It shall be finished in no time. Not only that, but we also made you this."

A set of soldiers walked in with a new helmet placed upon a gold thread lined purple velvet pillow. This helmet was just like the one he wore as Outworld's emperor. He picked the helmet up abandoning the demon skull he had placed on his head. He placed the new helmet upon his head and it was perfect fit. Not only that, they also delivered him a new wrath hammer so he no longer had to use the old rusted hammer he found in the ruins. He took the hammer with a small sense of glee. He and the group exchanged a nod, "Both of these should come in handy."

For once in his cold heart, Shao Kahn felt the slightest bit thankful for this set of gifts along with this new realm. Did time in purgatory make him realize just how valuable life could be? Was it just because his soldiers felt a genuine sense of loyalty out of respect rather than fear as they usually did? Nobody quite knows for sure, not even the Konquerer himself does. He growled to himself in frustration, "I feel as if I am growing soft. This must be a trick by the Elder Gods. They're taking away what makes me powerful. I won't allow it." He stood up from his seat, "I must take my leave for now. I will try to be back but I cannot promise anything." He walked out of the dining hall just as he said that, leaving everyone confused.

This did not stop them from continuing on with the meal, with everyone still as cheery as ever. Jade turned to Ermac, "Congratulations on the promotion!" Ermac gulped, "Errr yes, the promotion. Thank you." "What are you so nervous about," she questioned him, genuinely curious about his doubt.

"We are unsure if we're truly worthy of this job. It is a great responsibility and we don't want to let down our master."

"You'll do fine," she reassured him, "how can you fail?"

"In a multitude of ways," Rain butted in. "Oh hush," she replied while placing a finger over his lips, "adults are talking." Rain groaned, "This is no way to treat a half-god. I deserved that position and you both know it."

"Calm down," Ermac tried to rectify but the spoiled prince denied him, "Enough of this! I will fight you for that position!" Tanya placed a hand on his shoulder, "You're an idiot if—" yet Rain still didn't listen, shoving her aside. Rain continued to provoke Ermac, "Come on! If you're so worthy of the position, you'll fight me for it!"

Jade tried reminding him, "But he doesn't think he is!" The half-god didn't listen, choosing to instead shove the startled construct. Soon everyone else in the room was cheering on, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The already nervous Ermac burst out of control as a green aura surrounded him along with the room. Soon everyone was forced into the wall, staying there via telekinesis. His eyes were alight in an emerald glow as they stared down Rain who was struggling against the invisible force. Ermac floated over to him with his confusion turning to rage.

"Who is worthy now," he asked in a voice deeper than his already booming voice. Rain's eyes widened as he said that, "You…you are worthy." Ermac dropped to the ground along with everyone else as they cheered his name again. He looked around at them, he knew he was strong but his master wasn't kidding when he said he strengthened up his body. Rain decided to leave with his tail between his legs while everybody's attention was turned to Ermac.

Jade looked at him with an inquisitive look on her, "How…how did you do that?" He was just as interested as she was, "We don't know! It just happened."

Meanwhile in the dungeon, Shao Kahn was fulfilling his bloodlust by interrogating the two invading Oni. He smashed his new hammer against Drahmin's face, "Who sent you?"

Drahmin looked up with what little strength he had, "I am a master torturer where I come from. You're going to have to do more than that to get me to even think about talking…"

Kahn deviously grinned, "Oh that I can do." He unlocked the chains across his ankles but not the ones across his wrists. He started pulling with all of his raw might, tearing the visible tendons on Drahmin's knees. He yelped but remained silent. After that, the Emperor shattered both of his knees with his hammer, blood splattering against the wall. Again he asked, "Talk."

Drahmin weakly shook his head, Shao Kahn responded in kind by shoving his spiked knuckle dusters into the Oni's rib cage. The Oni would've coughed up blood were it not for the mask he was wearing. The Konquerer grabbed the mask, "Last chance." Drahmin nearly screamed, "Don't!" Kahn's grip around the mask tightened, "Start talking!" He still refused, "You can't make me do anything!" That's when he started pulling the mask from Drahmin's face. The mask slowly tore away from his face, the rotting flesh that had formed around it tearing away with it. Drahmin's hushed screams went to screams of real agony. Despite the screaming, Shao Kahn didn't stop tearing. If anything the screaming made him rip it away slower, just to prolong the Oni's suffering. Finally with an ear piercing ' **SHRIIIIPPP** ' noise, the mask was fully torn away. Drahmin's face beneath it was merely a dried husk without eyes, lips, or even teeth. With the mask gone, Drahmin's body soon followed as it withered away within seconds. Shao Kahn was both pleased and displeased by this simultaneously. He loved the carnage it had caused but the lack of worthwhile information was not welcome.

Moloch looked upon the death of his caretaker and partner with that of a dog who had just witnessed its owner dying. The beast huddled against the wall in fear, not being able to truly express how he felt. Shao Kahn marched over to Moloch with hammer in hand. He was ready to finish the monster but as he looked up to the Konquerer with pleading eyes he decided otherwise, laying his hammer down. He did this not out of mercy, far from it. Sure no information could come from this primitive creature. But Moloch could come in handy in other ways Shao Kahn thought.

He relinquished the chains around Moloch's wrists and ankles, yet the one upon his neck remained. Shao Kahn tore the chain from the wall, using it like a leash. That's when he heard a loud thud coming from the dining hall. He yanked on the chain causing Moloch to follow behind him as he stepped up the stairs and into the hall. "What is the meaning of all this noise," he demanded to know. Rain was the first to speak up, "Ermac was abusing his newfound power against me!" Jade spoke over him, "That's not what happened! Rain was trying to usurp Ermac's position by fighting him!" Soon the entire room devolved into an argument until Shao Kahn stomped his foot, "I demand silence!"

He glared directly into Rain's eyes, "Now how about we tell the truth?" Rain did not buckle under the pressure, "My words are as true as my loyalty to you." King Kahn was unimpressed by his feigning loyalty. He motioned for Moloch to come forward, which the Oni did without hesitation. It snarled at Rain to which he responded by telling the truth, "Jade was being honest! I was trying to usurp his position." The newly crowned king stroked his chin, "Do you feel you deserve that position?" The half-god nodded, "Of course! I am the proper prince of Edenia!" Shao Kahn lifted him into the air, "Not in my Edenia you're not."

He tossed him over to one of the guards, "Take him to the dungeon. He'll learn his lesson there." Rain looked at the guard with fear, "Wait! I don't deserve the dungeon!" As he begged he turned to Tanya, "tell them I'm innocent!" She smugly waved at him as he was taken away. Ermac looked to Shao Kahn, "Was that not a bit harsh?" Shao Kahn didn't care if it was, "I cannot have someone starting any kind of internal conflict. We are not ready for it."

Right he was since the reborn Edenia was still in its infancy stage. It would take a lot of hard work for it to be restored to its former glory but if they worked hard enough it wouldn't be a long process at all.

Back within the Netherrealm, Noob Saibot awaited the awakening of Hanzo Hasashi. His wait would soon be over as his eyes opened slowly. He looked around the throne room with great surprise, "Where am I…?" Noob's hand went around his chin pulling Hanzo's vision up to him, "You're in my realm now, Scorpion."

Hanzo got up, ready to fight until he was apprehended by the guards in the room. He struggled in their grip but alas he was too weak as of right now to break free. Noob was amused by his efforts, "You've really made a great mistake by coming here."

"I needed to save Sub-Zero."

"Oh? And where was that attitude when you let revenge cloud your mind in killing Quan-Chi," Noob asked, "or when you killed me when Raiden said not to?"

Scorpion's anger only grew as Noob continued talking, "If Quan-Chi were left alive any longer his threat would've only grown stronger! I did what I had to do!"

"Oh don't try to justify your lust for revenge, Scorpion."

In his rage, Hanzo broke free and he decked Noob right in his left cheek, "I don't need to justify it!" The guards stood around Scorpion but Noob called them off, "Leave him be. This is between him and I." The Brotherhood cultists left, leaving only Scorpion and Noob in the room.

"It's funny how stuck in your delusions you are," Noob mocked, "pathetic too. Not everything is about you." Scorpion threw another punch which the shadowy wraith caught, "Is your only rebuttal fighting me? You truly have no argument to stand on." He twisted Scorpion's wrist causing the angry specter to fall on his knees. Noob knee'd him right in his chin, "I guess my men did do a number on you. I thought you might have a chance of killing me again but I suppose not, hm?" He picked Hanzo up by the back of his ponytail, "Now I get to repay the favor!" He dragged Hanzo's bloodied face across the floor. At this point Hanzo lost control as his spear shot out of his wrist, going right through Noob's chest. "Get over here," he yelled as the spear yanked Noob into the ground. Scorpion backflipped up, standing over Noob's back.

He stomped on the back of Noob's head repeatedly. After that he dragged him to a nearby wall and smashed his face against it as inky blood splashed everywhere. He pulled two swords out of the scabbards on his back, "I'm going to finish what I started all those years ago!"

"You mean killing me without justification," Noob asked with blood leaking from his nose and mouth, "go ahead!" The blades scraped up against the evil wraith's neck. Scorpion then paused. Deep down he knew Noob was right, killing him all those years ago was unjustified. If he didn't murder Bi-Han than Noob Saibot simply would not exist. Using this as an opening, Noob dropped through a portal. He came back down through another one, drop kicking Scorpion.

Scorpion went down again, this time refusing to get up. He looked up to Noob, "Finish it." Noob laughed at this, "Oh no, no, no I don't want to kill you. I'm going to prove myself as the better man today, Shirai Ryu dog. I won't kill you out of revenge." Hanzo was taken aback by this, "But…but you must!" The former Lin-Kuei continued to decline, "I refuse. You'll live out the rest of your existence in the mines. There you can reconsider all of your actions." Hanzo solemnly nodded, "Very well."

Noob snapped his fingers. Enenra arose from the floor, grabbing the defeated specter. Noob pointed downwards, "Take him to the mines." Enenra nodded, falling back through the floor with Hanzo in tow. Elsewhere in the Netherrealm Kitana, Sareena, and Kuai Liang were hiding from the Brotherhood of Shadows' ever watchful eye.

The three of them evaded capture so far yet Kitana was not fond of her new and now only allies. "Where are we even going," Kitana groaned as they marched through the desolate land of the outer Netherrealm.

Sub-Zero answered politely, "We're going to try and find a way out." Sareena confirmed that, "And that way out should be somewhere around here. I will stay here as you two leave." Sub-Zero's hand went on her shoulder, "I insist you come with us, Sareena." She shook her head, "I'm sorry. I'll be fine."

"I promise you I won't be gone for long. I just need to have the Lin Kuei help us out."

Kitana intervened in their conversation, "Just what makes you think I want to leave this realm?" Kuai's gaze went to her, "You have nothing left here. If you stay, the Brotherhood will find you. They will do the same to you as they did Liu Kang."

She looked away for a moment, knowing that he was right. Without a word she solemnly nodded. Everything was silent until the fallen princess asked one thing, "Why did you save me, anyway?"

"Just as I said, there is still good in you," Kuai answered, "even if you are a revenant you're still good. You wanted to spare me after all." Sareena smiled warmly at both of them, "I think we're finally settling our differences." The Edenian looked away from both of them before giving a slight smirk back, "Maybe so, but don't count your eggs before they hatch." Finally, Sareena led them both back to the very gate that they were at before. She motioned towards it, "Well…there you go!"

Kitana was quick to want to head out but Liang was not. His hand softly went around Sareena's wrist, "Last chance. I insist you come." She looked away, "I've told you time and time again I can't. Yet again I must decline, Sub-Zero." He frowned slightly, "I understand. I will not be gone long. I promise." He left afterwards, leaving only Kitana and Sareena. Kitana offered out her hand, "You helped save me. Let me save you." The demoness denied her offer, "I'm sorry." Kitana walked through the gate afterwards.

The two of them arrived in the Nexus, a connector of the significant realms. Yet something was amiss. When they left the Netherrealm Kitana's physical body vanished and all that was left was her spirit. She looked upon her transparent emerald ethereal form in shock, "Wh-what…?" Kuai poked her, his finger going right through, "Your physical body must be in use by someone else without your consciousness in it."

She was quick to accuse someone of these actions, "Raiden." Sub-Zero turned to her, "You think so? I had heard he was corrupted but to think he would use a corpse as a mindless puppet…even Quan-Chi kept your consciousnesses, even if corrupted."

"I know it's him. He threatened Liu and I quite some time ago."

"Then we'll have to visit him while we're in Earthrealm."

Both Kitana's soul and Sub-Zero continued into the Earthrealm portal, where they would come into trouble just as soon as they stepped in…


	8. The True King of Outworld Returns

Kitana's spirit and Kuai Liang reentered Earthrealm through the Nexus, finding themselves within a forest. As soon as they returned they were met with the fear Raiden, who scowled at them. Kitana was quick to try and fight him yet her punch went right through him. The thunder god laughed, "This is what comes to those who wish to start trouble with Earthrealm!"

He turned to Liang, "It is almost a shame to see you with them now, Sub-Zero. I should've seen this coming, though." Kuai remained as stern as ever, "I'm only with her because you've become deranged." Raiden was quick to shoot a lightning bolt at the cryomancer when he least suspected it, "If you're against me, you're against Earthrealm." Liang was shot but refused to go down. He glared at the thunder god, "It'll take more than that."

"You will is commendable," Raiden commented, "but it is in the wrong place!" As he said that, the zombified corpses of Kabal, Stryker, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, Sindel, and Kitana surrounded the Lin Kuei grand master. Kuai gasped, "What…what did you do?!" Raiden answered nonchalantly, "I have made stronger warriors out of fallen failures."

Kitana couldn't help but stare at her resurrected corpse. It was a pale gray with blanked out white eyes. Bits of flesh were missing from the corpse revealing muscle tendon and even dirt covered bones. She reached out to the corpse yet her ethereal hand merely went through. She pulled back in shock as the corpse hissed at her.

"As princess of Edenia I demand you relinquish my corpse at once," she demanded yet Raiden shook his head, "You are no princess, haven't you heard? The Elder Gods appointed a new leader…Shao Kahn."

Her worst nightmare was cemented as reality when he uttered the name of her adopted father. She looked away in denial, "There's no way Shao Kahn has control of Edenia! I refuse to believe you!"

"I'm afraid so. Think Kitana, would you rather have Shao Kahn rule over your home realm or would you prefer to stop me? If you align with me, I'll help you kill Shao Kahn again."

She offered her hand until Liang told her to call it off, "Stop! Think about it, Kitana…he's manipulating you just as Quan-Chi and Shao Kahn did before! According to Sareena you said you wouldn't be under anyone's control. Show me you weren't lying."

Raiden provided a counterargument, "No Kitana, he's an assassin! Though he might say he's changed, a Lin Kuei never changes. They always endanger those around them. Just look at the cyber initiative." Sub-Zero tried throwing out a punch yet was stopped by Kitana's corpse, who twisted his wrist. He pleaded Kitana to help, "Kitana I know you have your peoples' best interest at heart…but Raiden doesn't!"

Raiden then revealed his trump card, gesturing to Liu Kang's corpse, "I can bring him back. I can bring back both of you…you can finally live as king and queen of Edenia together but only if you take up my offer."

Kitana looked at her former lover's corpse with regretful eyes. If she were she able to cry in her ghastly form she would. She then turned to Sub-Zero who was forced onto the ground by her own body. It was a tough decision yet she turned to Raiden, "Place my spirit back into my body, then we have a deal."

Sub-Zero tried to convince her yet Raiden sent out a bolt of lightning that silenced the Chinese ninja warrior. Raiden laughed as he pulled out his cracked amulet, "You should've listened to Sub-Zero." She quickly grabbed the fans from her zombified corpse, finding that while she herself couldn't harm people directly, she could use weapons instead. She jabbed the fans right into Raiden's shoulder blades, ripping straight through them, "I did!"

He dropped the amulet after the attack. He tried shocking her yet it was no use as her ethereal form made her near impossible to hurt. The thunder god knelt down onto the ground to look for the amulet but was met with a fan blade just barely missing his neck. He quickly grabbed his amulet while warning, "This is far from over! Once you get back to your clan you're in for a surprise!" With that he was gone in a flash of lightning along with his revenant warriors.

She quickly came to the aid of Sub-Zero, "Are you okay…?" He pulled himself back up with a groan, "I've been better." He looked around, seeing that Raiden had fled, "I guess he really has gone mad."

The spirited princess nodded solemnly, "I guess so. I was so close to taking his offer too. The chance to see Liu Kang again…the chance for us to rule together…that's what I've always wanted since I first met him."

Liang looked to her with sympathetic eyes, "He was like family to you, yes?"

"As strange as it sounds…yes, he was like family. More than any other family member I've known in my life. Only person whom I've felt closer to was Jade and…"

"The loss of a best friend is one that can hurt the most," Sub-Zero replied while thinking of Smoke, "I'd know. I've lost both of mine."

"Both?"

He continued on, "Smoke was my best friend, but in a way so was Bi-Han. He was the only family I've known since I was kidnapped by the Lin Kuei. He could be prone to violence yes, and he might've had a disdain for the Shirai Ryu that was irrational yet he was never what he is now."

Her ghostly hand went on his shoulder, "It's an awful feeling when you know someone has changed but you can't let go."

Kuai then coldly said, "I have let go. It's in the past now. I can't change what life is now to think I could, would be a foolish gesture. I've long since given up on Bi-Han…and I'm not sure if I can hold out for Tomas either."

Their roles were reversed as Kitana's near dead optimism shone out, "I wouldn't say so. You of all people should know hope never dies."

His frozen exterior gave way to a warm smile, "I guess not. We should make our way back to the Lin Kuei compound if what Raiden said holds any water. I know a fast way there." The two made their way out of the forest, heading up north to the Lin Kuei's main compound.

Back in Outworld, Goro along with his Tarkatan horde made it to the center of the Living Woods with their prisoners in tow. Within the center was an ancient stone temple with overgrowth covering most of it. The only part that seemed recently used was the entrance. Goro marched in first with the horde following second.

This massive complex appeared to only have one main area, yet this was a gargantuan room surrounded by thousands of mummies. These mummies were all warriors who were long dead. Their bodies might've been mummified but their age was still obvious. Goro and the Tarkatan knelt as they placed Sheeva and Erron on altars.

Goro got up and raised his arms, "We are gathered here on this ceremonious day to sacrifice these traitors to the true ruler of Outworld!" Both of them soon awoke yet were being held down by the brutish half-breeds. They struggled yet their cries were ignored.

"We sacrifice them in the hopes that the great dragon egg may hatch in their deaths," Goro continued as more Tarkatan walked out with an egg the size of their torsos being carried upon a pedestal. A familiar robed figure handed Goro two ceremonial daggers on a throw pillow. He raised the daggers in the air as he stood between the two alters that had Kotal's two warriors upon them, "We honor you today, Dragon King, in the hopes that you may save us from Kotal Kahn's dark reign!"

"Now what in tarnation are ya doin'," Erron asked as he looked at all the vicious faces around him. Goro explain, "It is stated that those with those with dragon blood within them will be able to inherit the power of the Dragon King. It's how I got my arms back. With this sacrifice I'm hoping to gain _full_ power and no one will be able to stop me! I will reclaim the Shokan's glory!"

He was ready to stab the daggers into his victims until a voice cried out, "Ssstop!" Reptile emerged from invisibility standing in the middle of the massive hall, "Goro! I challenge you to Mortal Kombat!" Every Tarkatan in the room turned to the Zaterran with their teeth flashing at him.

Goro laughed, "Is that so?" Reptile squinted at the Prince of the Tarkata, "Yesss it isss. Unlesss you're ssscared of what happened with you and Kotal isss going to happen again, that isss."

Goro place the daggers on the ground and motioned for his men to stand aside, "I'll have to give this cretin what he wants, then."

The Tarkata cleared up an area for the two to duke it out. They were all cheering, not for Goro or Reptile, but cheering for the sheer fight itself. It began out with Goro throwing out a punch. Reptile leapt up above it to then crawl up on his arm. His claws dug right into Goro's skin. He held back his pained grunts as he grabbed Reptile and smashed him into the ground. Reptile got back up and spat acid right into Goro's eyes. This left the crafty Zaterran enough time to trip the Shokan up. He jumped up onto Goro's chest ready to spit acid into him yet Goro grabbed him by his ankles and squeezed. Reptile's bones could be heard cracking under the pressure. Nonetheless he continued on by slashed Goro's chest, leaving three claw marks.

Goro threw Reptile off as he went into the crowd of Tarkata. They threw him back in almost instantaneously. This left him no time to react to Goro kicking him into the side of a nearby alter. It seemed victory was just out of his grasp until he noticed one of the sacrificial daggers up on the alter. He snatched it up and threw it into Goro's chest. Goro winced at this yet chugged on with a determined look in his eyes. He tried to ram into Reptile yet he went invisible, leaving Goro to ram right into the alter. He soon reappeared behind Goro with the other dagger in hand. He slammed it right into the Shokan's back and slid it through his spine.

Goro gasped, unable to respond to this quick enough. Soon the Tarkatan crowd started chanting, "Finish him! Finish him!" Reptile went with their wishes as he pulled out both daggers and sliced off all four of Goro's arms. Then he chopped off his head for good measure. The exiled prince and enemy to Outworld was no more.

Reptile held both daggers triumphantly in the air with a grin on his face. The Tarkata cheered him on, not caring if their old boss had died. They now had a new one. Reptile's victory was short lived as he noticed the large egg was starting to crack.

Reptile turned to the egg with curiosity. Suddenly it shot out a beam of light at the unaware Zaterran. He didn't even have time to scream as the light basked around him. When it dissipated, Reptile was slowly mutating. His scales turned darker and much stronger than before. His height increased to him being even taller than Goro as his face then morphed into a more dragon-like appearance. His teeth grew sharper and longer, his snout stuck out more, fins coming from the back of his head popped out along with massive horns. Finally wings grew out from his back, cementing that Reptile had just become host to the now reborn Dragon King.

"This…was not how I foresaw returning," Onaga said as his first words, "I thought my pawn would've done so for me yet this works too." The Tarkatan horde looked upon the Dragon King with delight. They bowed beneath him.

Less enthusiastic were Erron and Sheeva as they looked upon the supposed true ruler of Outworld with fear. "That ain't good," Erron commented. Sheeva agreed, "It just makes things worse." The Dragon King grabbed a set of armor from the wall. The armor consisted of a helmet, harness, and armored loincloth. It was similar to Shao Kahn's yet the helmet was more open faced and it had openings for Onaga's horns.

After placing on his armor, Onaga turned to Sheeva and Erron. He sneered at them, "You will bring me to Kotal Kahn at once. I wish to negotiate with him."

"N' by negotiate do ya mean murder," Erron asked sarcastically. The Dragon King bent down over the outlaw, "Were it Shao Kahn, then yes. But Kotal seems like a reasonable man. If he allows me to rule, I might be able to help him with his Earthrealm problem."

Sheeva agreed to his proposition, "Very well, we'll let you see him." Erron looked at her with a doubtful look, "Didn't even bother askin' me what I thought a' that?" Sheeva scoffed at him," Tch, your opinion doesn't matter."

"Harsh."

The Dragon King silenced them both, "If he wants access to my army, he will agree. Speaking of which…"

He dramatically raised his massive arms at the mummified corpses as a green essence flew in through the entrance. He gave a sharp toothed grin as he saw the energy flow in. Erron looked at the energy with a concerned look on his face, "Now uhh…where'd you get all those souls from?"

"The Living Forest, obviously. Didn't you ever wonder how those trees were living?"

Erron rubbed his chin, "Can't say that I have, no. I just thought they came with the land.

The Dragon King explained, "Nope. They were keeping the souls of my army until the time would come to resurrect them along with myself!"

The army knelt before their master. Now his forces had considerably doubled when you consider the Tarkata were with him too. The Dragon King motioned towards the door, "Come along, then. We have business to take care of."

Sheeva, Erron, the Tarkata, and the immortal army marched out the entrance in a massive blockade. The only person who didn't leave was the robed figure who kneeled over Goro's corpse. He rubbed his chin, "Not quite how I was hoping for that to go but this works too. I now have a replacement for Moloch."

The robed figure removed the hood, revealing the devious Noob Saibot beneath it. He folded his hands in a pleased manner, "It might not be what I wanted, but the return of the Dragon King will keep Outworld out of the Netherrealm's problems. With Raiden and Kotal being so distracted they'll never see me coming."

He snapped his fingers, calling forth his loyal slave Enenra. He motioned to Goro's corpse, "Take the body to the Netherrealm. Keep it there. We don't want what happened to our other revenants' bodies to happen to Goro's. We'll resurrect him as an Oni."

Enenra bowed before his master and hauled the corpse off into a portal. Noob followed soon after, feeling quite confident in his now unfolding plan.

As Outworld toiled, Edenia prospered under Shao Kahn's rule. It might seem surprising, but a forceful leader was just what they needed in their time of crisis.

Yet all was not well as Ermac heard a voice in his head calling out his master. This voice was louder than any of the others, showing the mark of a powerful spirit. Ermac tried to fight the inner doubts in his newly built in private chamber yet it cried out too loud. The construct let it out in a yell that could be heard through-out the entire facility.

This came to the attention of Shao Kahn, who stomped right into the chambers thinking Ermac may've been under attack. He saw nothing instead, "What is the meaning of this noise, Ermac?!" He turned to his creator with pleading eyes while kneeling on the ground in pain, "Something…is trying to overtake us. Trying to turn us against you…"

Shao Kahn shut the doors behind him and then turned to Ermac with the most serious face he could muster.

"I have expected this day for a long time," the ruler said with a hint of actual fear, a rarity for Shao Kahn, "your body acts as a vessel to many souls."

"We are aware of this."

"Yet one soul was the one I prized most, the soul that completed you," he explained, "that one soul was the soul of King Jerrod, former ruler of Edenia. He must be trying to break out of his prison."

Ermac couldn't believe this, "You mean…we are the reborn form of King Jerrod?" Shao Kahn vehemently denied, "No! You are not! You just have his soul, you are not Jerrod himself. If you ever become Jerrod, I will not hesitate to finish what I started so long ago." Ermac gulped, "But…but how do we control it? His voice is too strong for us to ignore!"

Shao Kahn looked him in the eye, "Then get stronger. That's all I can tell you." Ermac crossed his legs and took a deep breath, "We will work on it with meditation, then." Shao Kahn walked out soon after.

He shut his eyes only to hear the voice call out to him yet again, "You do not need to listen to him, Ermac." Ermac decided that reasoning with the voice of Jerrod might work, "He is our creator, we are loyal to him until the very end." Jerrod's voice sighed, "Shao Kahn is not worth such loyalty. Though he might be on the Elder Gods' chain, it is only a matter of time before he breaks free."

"If that should ever happen, we will follow him until the very end."

Jerrod couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Blind loyalty will get you nowhere. If I cannot convince you then I fear I might have to take control."

Ermac took major offense to someone trying to control him so using all of his might he expelled the spirit of Jerrod from within, "We are not your servant. You are a king with no throne! That throne belongs to our master now."

"Your master is a deranged bloodlusted dictator! He earned the throne through spilling blood and savagery!"

Despite the former king's best efforts, Ermac's servitude to Shao Kahn did not waver, "Sometimes you must use such savagery to get a foothold in a broken realm such as this. A pacifist has no place in Edenia anymore."

Jarrod realized that trying to coerce Ermac was useless at this point so his spirit vanished to see who else but the now current king, Shao Kahn. He flew into the throne room feeling determined to remove Shao Kahn from the throne.

Shao Kahn was taken aback by seeing Jarrod's soul in his throne room. Soon his shock turned to humor as he cackled, "Come for your throne, Jarrod? Might be a little hard if you're already dead don't you think?"

The former king was undeterred by Shao Kahn's mocking, "You've taken everything from me, my life, my own family, but I won't let you take my throne like this! Not without a fight!" Kahn's small cackle turned to boisterous laughter, "Fight?! You?! Don't make me laugh! Even when alive, you were no match for me! Your soul can do nothing to me!"

Jarrod realized that he was right he couldn't do anything against Kahn in this form, "I don't have to. I'll organize my people just as I did before. You won't stop me." Shao Kahn rested his head upon his hand with a smug smirk growing larger, "Do you really want to instigate a rebellion in a realm that's already been through enough? I thought better of you Jarrod. I never thought you'd try to reclaim your throne in such a petty manner after Edenia has struggled so much."

"It's only struggled because of your acts!"

"And I'm making up for my acts, can't you see," Shao Kahn said trying to appeal to the soul of the former king, "these people need me more than they need you I'm afraid."

Jarrod did not stand down to Shao Kahn's words, "I refuse to bow to your regime! It might seem good now, but I know you'll send these people through turmoil just as you always do! Just as you did with my wife and daughter…"

"Don't make me laugh, Jarrod! Though you might be Kitana's biological father, I am her true father! I was the one who raised her for over 10,000 years! She would not be who she is now without my influence, whether good or bad."

Jarrod tried to argue with that, yet he couldn't. Shao Kahn was right. She never knew her real father until he was long dead. She might've had her suspicions but with all things considered, Shao Kahn was her father far longer than Jarrod ever was. He knew he could retort with what he did with Sindel, "True as that might be, you kidnapped my wife and forced her with you against her will! You forced her into a marriage through brain washing, and forced yourself upon her before throwing her away like some tool! That's irredeemable!"

Shao leaned forward, staring the ghostly apparition down, "What you say is true, Jarrod. I did indeed force her into marriage but to properly rule the realm I needed to. The rules of Mortal Kombat stated that the spouse of a realm's deceased ruler, should they exist, must either be killed or taken in by the new ruler as either a spouse or soldier to fully claim ownership of the realm. If not, then the spouse claims full leadership of the realm. Besides, I never forced myself upon her. She killed herself before I could do such a thing."

"It would've been more merciful to kill her than do what you did! Just as you said, she killed herself she was so distraught!"

Shao Kahn shrugged that off, "I brought her back, didn't I?"

"In a bid to conquer Earthrealm," Jarrod reminded him, "I don't understand what happened to you, Shao. You held such promise as the new ruler of Outworld all that time ago. The two of us were close back then but then when the Zaterrans tried invading your realm…you lost it."

"The power I felt in making them bend beneath my will felt exhilarating," Kahn explained while getting caught up in remembering it, "Queen Komodai bowed before me as I struck her head with my hammer! It was the first taste I got of conquering a realm and I knew I needed to do it again!"

"So why did you conquer my realm next," Jarrod asked despondently, "why would you ruin the good relations between us just to conquer Edenia?"

"It felt good," Shao Kahn answered, "that's all there is to it. Something about conquering realms made me feel as if I was on top of the world! The power I felt coursing through my veins could not be recreated! I needed to feel it and your realm was the first to trust me! That's all there is to it."

Jarrod was dumbfounded by this, "You…you committed all of your acts just to feel the rush of it? How good could it have made you feel?"

"You don't get it, Jarrod! You never felt it, it's like…something was pleased when each of the realms were merged and was granting me more power with each realm merged. I know now it was the One Being manipulating me…making me feel the power of each realm conquered!"

Jarrod growled his pacifism having been torn away, "You fell to the manipulation so easily! You've thrown away everything just so you could feel that power!"

"I didn't understand either," Shao Kahn said, "I never knew why Onaga was so obsessed with merging until _I_ felt it for myself. Once you get that feeling, you never want it to go."

"I'm taking _my_ realm back now, Kahn!"

Shao Kahn's smirk turned to a full grin, "You want it? You can take it!" Jarrod tried to tackle Kahn yet he responded by then absorbing the soul of the former Edenian king leaving nothing in his wake, "You can have it by being a part of me."

This left Shao Kahn alone in his throne room, left only to ponder the words that Jarrod said to him and his past actions. Did he even feel bad over all he had done? Did he not care? Without the One Being's influence looming over him it could be possible that Shao Kahn could feel remorse yet he did not show it. Instead he cackled thinking of what Jarrod said to him, pushing it all aside.

Yet Shao Kahn would not be as alone as he first thought, as he heard footsteps just outside the throne room.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Okay so, I don't normally do these unless it's me apologizing for not keeping a steady schedule or it's the beginning or end of a story but I felt the events of this chapter could probably use a little more explaining. I've always wanted to know more about the backstory of Outworld and its rulers. The most we ever usually get is, "Onaga was evil until Shao Kahn killed him. Shao Kahn is also really evil." Well why did he kill Onaga? Just for the sake of taking over Outworld? Why did he want Outworld? Just for power? I wasn't satisfied with any of those answers, so that's why there have been flashbacks to various times in Shao Kahn's life and why there's a lot of talking about it in this chapter. I know Mortal Kombat: Conquest covered a lot of it, but that's pretty much noncanon these days. There will be more elaboration of just why he took over Outworld in later chapters along with more on Shao Kahn and Onaga's falling out, and maybe Jerrod and Kahn's relationship before he went power crazy. I don't it was ever explained why Kahn ever took over Zaterra, so in this fic it's because they attacked first. Also I'm not trying to make Shao Kahn a tragic villain with all this backstory, far from it. I'm just trying to add a bit more to him since this story centers around him and his quest. That's not to say it's a redemption story either, I'm not sure if that's the route I want to go down either. Either way I'd like to thank everybody for keeping up with the story so far, happy that people like what I've been doing with it. Until next time, stay tuned for the next chapter (whenever that is)._


	9. The Lin Kuei's Struggle

Shao Kahn got up from his throne in a hurry for a spy was in his midst. He walked out the doorway while demanding that the intruder show themselves, "If you wish to avoid a painful death you will show yourself!"

His senses were entirely focused now, whoever this spy was they could not hope to escape him. Soon he heard a something from behind. He swiftly turned around to see Jade trying to sneak away. Though stealthy, even the greatest of trained assassins couldn't sneak away from Shao Kahn.

"Going somewhere," he asked with a look of both a surprised yet slightly smug face. The Edenian warrior was left speechless, knowing full well that Shao Kahn would not hold back. He continued on in her silence, "It took you long enough to figure out something was wrong." He slowly approached her with an insincere smile, "Perhaps we can talk this out, you and I."

She glared at him, standing her ground, "Who am I really?! You've lied about Edenia so much, how can I trust what you've said about me?" The corrupt king continued to approach her with his hand out, "Just let me explain…"

She then attempted to attack him with her staff, yet Shao Kahn countered with the hilt of his hammer. He then struck her beneath the chin with his fist, throwing her into the air. He caught her while staring her down, "I could make you disappear and nobody would notice. I could blame Kotal Kahn or the Netherrealm's forces. Nobody would doubt me." She tried to speak up yet Shao Kahn's brutal attack left her in no condition to.

He was about to finish her until he found himself stopped just before his hammer smashed her skull in. He attempted to force himself yet it was no use. His hammer vanished as he growled, "Again the Elder Gods interfere in my matters! Everything will be ruined if she tells everybody what happened. Doubt within my ranks will rise…I must find a way to silence her."

To his delight, he didn't need to do anything. She passed out from exhaustion. It was a temporary solution no doubt, but it was enough.

He wasn't entirely off the hook as the commotion alerted Ermac, who soon entered the hall. He saw Jade's body on the floor and then turned to Shao Kahn, "What happened?!"

Shao Kahn placed his hand upon the construct's shoulder, "Earthrealm assassins came to try and kill me. Jade her threw herself into battle to protect me, yet was not strong enough."

Ermac's eye twitched at that, "Where are they?!"

Shao Kahn gave a fake sigh, "They ran away when they saw me stomping in, they were too frightened to do anything against me."

"Yet they attack Jade with no hesitation?!"

"Raiden has become lost," Shao Kahn replied, "he will do anything to achieve his goals. It's all sad, really."

"We…we need to get revenge…we kill them," Ermac muttered near silently as his hands turned to fists and green energy surrounded them. Shao Kahn nodded at his creation, "We will, we will. If not, they will take so much more from us. I will make them pay, _we_ will make them pay!"

"They will know true suffering," Ermac said as the green aura surrounding him grew stronger, "we will not stand for this." Shao Kahn grinned, Ermac actually believed everything he said, "We will strike soon. Our infantry is growing stronger every day, they will stand no chance."

Ermac picked Jade up in his arms as the aura died down, "We will take her to our chamber for safe keeping. We will try to revive her."

"Are you sure you wish to do that," Shao Kahn nervously asked, "She'd be safe enough in the throne room." Ermac walked away silently, leaving Shao Kahn with a bit of anxiety. If she's revived, she will tell Ermac what happened without hesitation.

"I must find a way to split those two apart," Shao Kahn thought to himself, "I'm sure an idea will come to me soon…"

Ermac carried Jade into his chambers and laid her on the ground. He looked at her bloody battered body with a hint of sadness. Green aura surrounded his hands as he placed them on her. His efforts to heal were unsuccessful as she still remained passed out.

He sighed in frustration yet his efforts were not entirely in vain as he heard her voice calling out to him. He looked around the room, seeing nothing but still hearing her, "Jade…?"

Back in Earthrealm, Sub-Zero and Kitana made it back to the Lin Kuei's main hideout deep within Arctika. The hideout was a massive stone fortress located within the mountains of tundra. What Sub-Zero saw was horrible. The corpses of the Lin Kuei were littered across the ground with burn marks all over. Their blood stained the snowy ground.

He kneeled to one of their corpses, looking around, "This isn't the work of the Tengu…it can't be. Their methods are much different. As far as I know, none of them use fire of any kind. Wu Lae and I have a truce too…"

Kitana was stunned by what she was seeing it almost reminded her of what may've happened to the Edenian armies. Sub-Zero got back up and motioned for her to follow him. They walked into the fortress without a hitch, nobody stopped them. Whoever this invader was, they did not have much of an army backing them…which could be seen as worse than if they did.

Sub-Zero then made it to what was once his main quarters, seeing someone sitting where he once did. He could not make out much since this lone usurper was sitting within the shadows.

"You are not the Grand Master," Sub-Zero plainly said to the invader, "give me back my clan!" The invader laughed with a mechanical voice, "I am the true inheritor of the clan. It's my birthright."

Kuai recognized this voice instantly, "Sektor?!" Kitana turned to him with a confused look, "Who?"

"Long story," Kuai answered.

The usurper stepped out, revealing it was a cyborg ninja but it didn't look like Sektor. Rather it had a gray exoskeleton that more resembled Cyrax's in its design. The cyborg nodded, "In a way, I am Sektor. But I prefer not to go by that name as I've long since abandoned it along with my human nature. You can call me Triborg now."

Liang was left with just one question, "How did you come back?!"

"You can thank the Special Forces for that. They brought me back in my glorious new form, yet they couldn't see what I could. The both of us thought differently."

"I'll have words with Jax and Sonya about this later," Kuai said, almost disappointed that they even tried anything with the cyborg initiative, "what matters now is that I finish what I started." He readied his stance.

Triborg got up from the Grand Master's seat, "When I'm done with you, the Lin Kuei will finally be wiped from the face of the Earth!" His chest opened up, firing missiles right at him. Sub-Zero avoided each one with precision yet was taken aback by Triborg teleporting and then uppercutting him. What shocked him even more was when the cyborg ninja _froze_ him! Triborg knocked him out of the ice soon after.

Kuai looked at Triborg with surprise, "How…how did you do that?!" Triborg chortled, "I have every ability documented within the Lin Kuei's cybernetic archives. That includes yours." Kuai flipped over Triborg and froze him, "I will not be defeated by some pale imitation!" Triborg broke out of the ice easily and lobbed bombs at Liang, "I am no pale imitation, I'm the superior one!"

Kitana's spirit levitated the bombs back at Triborg before they even hit Sub-Zero. They barely affected the now enraged robot. Liang threw a punch right at the android's face to which he barely flinched. He grabbed Sub-Zero's fist and twisted it. Triborg took great delight in Sub-Zero's suffering.

"You were always the pale imitation of Bi-Han anyhow," the sadistic robot added to only further throw salt in the wound. Liang held in his cries of pain but could only hold it in for so long. He finally screeched out in pain as he heard a snap in his wrist. Triborg then tossed him away like a ragdoll.

Kuai tried to get back up yet Triborg stomped on his chest, leaving him incapacitated. He finally took the Grand Master's medallion for himself, "The Lin Kuei is no more. From now on, there is only the Tekunin."

Kitana came in from behind with her fans yet it was a moot move as he shot the fans out of her ethereal hands. He was unsure of how he could fight her seeing as she was a spirit which could not be harmed.

Both of them came to a standstill, knowing that neither could take each other down. Triborg was the first to throw out an offer, "Tell you what if you leave me be I can tell you more about Raiden's intentions."

"I don't think so," she denied, "but I'll make a deal with you. If you hand me Sub-Zero I will leave with no hesitation." Triborg shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't comply. I want Sub-Zero to be the first in my recyberization process! It'd so fitting wouldn't it?"

It was now clear the two had reached an impasse. The room went silent for a solid minute until Triborg felt something grab him by the ankle. It was the incapacitated Sub-Zero still holding on to dear life! He froze him to the floor and flipped over him. Using this as an opportunity, Kitana grabbed her fans and threw them right into Triborg's chest. Triborg pulled them out, oil pouring out from the holes. Sub-Zero then smashed his skull in with an ice mallet. The automaton merely responded by growling as he vanished in a smoky wind, seemingly retreating.

Sub-Zero gave a sigh of relief until he felt an attack incoming from behind. He ducked beneath it, looking around to see who was behind him. He saw nothing. His invisible opponent bashed his foot against Sub-Zero's neck. Sub-Zero nearly went down yet pulled himself back up with the nearby wall. Kitana slashed both fans hoping to hit the transparent Triborg yet it didn't connect. Liang created an ice clone, throwing it at the invisible force.

It was a direct hit! Triborg exited out of the cloaking and was floored by the clone. The machination was quick to shatter the clone to pieces before taking to the air. He saw nothing as both the princess and former Grand Master had vanished without a trace.

Triborg slammed into the ground, angered by his loss. He punched the nearest wall, leaving a dent in its place. He then looked at the Dragon Medallion he stole from Sub-Zero with delight, "It wasn't an entirely pointless venture I suppose."

His arm opened up, revealing an empty compartment. He placed the medallion inside as ice froze over the arm, "I can feel it making me stronger…so much stronger."

He then activated a communicator on his wrist, contacting his employer. His boss was none other than the wicked god of thunder, Raiden.

"Did you dispose of that meddlesome duo?"

"Negative," Triborg reported, "the Tekunin need a raise of supplies, I'm afraid. Only then will I be able to kickstart the recyberization initiative. If you want an army, you must pay for it."

"Very well," Raiden answered, "I will have weapons, money, and whatever else you require delivered to you." Triborg laughed, "Just take them from the Special Forces, I already know they have exactly what we need."

The thunder god very much approved of this idea, "Who are they to stop me? I will have my zombies take everything they have. Feel free to help if you want."

"I took enough supplies upon leaving them to build a decent amount of cyborgs as is. I'll just have to use the remains of the Lin Kuei when I run out of necessary parts."

"Contact me when you have your cyborgs complete, Raiden out."

Triborg saluted his commander's hologram as he turned off the communicator. Afterwards he marched out of the Grand Master's chamber, "Let's get to work…"

Out in the Tundra of Arctika Sub-Zero and Kitana made it out, Sub-Zero having barely escaped with his life. While he marched out in the knee high snow he couldn't help but look back at the temple he had once called his own.

"It must hurt to lose everything. I know what that's like," Kitana said, hoping to console the punished leader. Sub-Zero looked to her with weak eyes, "It was all I had left. My clan was like my family and now…they're all gone."

"It's not all you have," Kitana replied with a warm smile beneath her mask. Her calming demeanor did little to help Liang, "I failed them, Kitana. My time in the Netherrealm was too long…if I had just been there then maybe I could have saved them."

The former princess sympathized greatly with Sub-Zero's struggle, "If I had been there, I could've saved my people too. You yourself have shown me you can't dwell on the past."

"It's different this time! What on _Earth_ were the Special Forces thinking when they brought back _any_ part of the cyber initiative," Kuai asked with tears forming in his eyes, "I just…I don't know. I don't know where to go from here. It was my plan to recruit the Special Forces and the Lin Kuei to help us. But now the Lin Kuei is dead and I can't trust the Special Forces, not after this."

"They're our only hope. We can't go to anybody else besides them."

Kuai looked away from her, "Go to them if you want. I refuse to seek their help. Maybe the Shirai Ryu can help us."

Kitana grew frustrated with him at this point, "If the Lin Kuei are gone, then surely this Triborg has left no other rival clans."

"Not so," a familiar voice called out. Both of their attention turned to the voice, seeing Sub-Zero's student Frost. She made her way to the both of them, "There's still a small sector of Lin Kuei left here in the mountains."

Sub-Zero was relieved by this, "Some still survived?"

"Not many, but it's a start. The Lin Kuei will never die!"

Kuai's sad face turned to a grin in an instant, "No it won't!" She turned to Kitana's spirit soon after, "I wouldn't listen to her Grand Master, you're right. We can't work with the ones who betrayed us, in fact I say we need to exact revenge upon them!"

"Revenge is unneeded," Kuai said while placing his arm on Frost's small shoulder, "she's right, in times like this we can't hold a grudge." Frost's brow furrowed in anger, "What?! But they took everything from us! We can't just let it be!"

"I will talk to Sonya and Jax about it."

He turned to Kitana, "We should probably get going before Triborg tracks us down."

She nodded, "Probably."

Frost looked to the both of them, "Should I gather what's left of the Lin Kuei?"

"Yes. It's not safe for them here. It's best we move elsewhere. We must go see the Special Forces."

As Kuai Liang prepared to retake his fortress, deep within the Netherrealm mines his former brother Noob Saibot was inspecting the mines below the Netherrealm's surface. He was excited to add the next miner in his operation. That miner was the man who murdered him, Hanzo Hasashi.

The delight Noob felt when torturing his killer was visible even when masked beneath his mask. Before he got to work the specter had just one question, "What are we mining for anyway?"

Noob shrugged, "I'm going to be honest you aren't mining for anything. The Netherrealm has no real valuable minerals of any kind. You're just mining because it's the best kind of torture we have what with our best torturer having been killed. I'm going to miss Drahmin…"

The wraith soon pulled out a whip and cracked it against the Shirai Ryu, "Well?! Get to work!"

Scorpion grabbed the nearest pickaxe and started mining. Even as he worked Noob couldn't help but whip his murderer repeatedly, each time he did he felt a form of schadenfreude. Hanzo's suffering felt like the perfect form of payback.

Having had enough Hanzo grabbed the whip mid-swing. He slightly miscalculated as the whip hitting his hand burned intensely. The pain only made him grip the whip harder as he pulled Noob in and held a kunai to his throat, "You should know I'm stronger here in my realm than anywhere else."

Noob was unfazed by Scorpion's rage, rather he sadistically laughed, "You wouldn't dare kill me again, would you? It could ruin things just as killing me before did, just as killing Quan-Chi did. Everything you do only ruins things further."

Hanzo dropped the kunai, giving Noob ample time to kick the ninja right in his stomach, leading him right into one of the sides of the mine. Noob picked Scorpion's kunai up and twirled it around. Hanzo stumbled onto the ground soon afterwards.

"You know, you could've turned out just like me if you weren't so empathetic."

Hanzo spat on Noob's feet, "You're making that sound like a good thing."

Noob picked the tired Scorpion off of his knees, "You know, I don't think I like your attitude. I think you could use a bit of an attitude adjustment." He repeatedly stabbed Scorpion with his own kunai and wrapped the rope from his spear around his neck, choking the life out of the already undead specter. Fire burned the rope off, to which Noob responded by throwing Scorpion right into a stalagmite.

Hanzo let out a scream only furthering Noob's enjoyment of the situation. Blood seeped through Scorpion's wounded stomach. It trickled down the stalagmite and onto the ground. Noob pressed his hands against Hanzo's chest, furthering the pike through his stomach. At this point Hanzo couldn't even scream, leaving Noob bored. The sadistic wraith picked Scorpion up from the pike, "It doesn't feel good to suffer like this, does it? I'd know, only difference between what you did to me and what I'm doing to you is that I'm hurting you for crimes you really _did_ commit."

Hanzo did not speak for he was a broken shell of what he once was. Noob placed Hanzo over his shoulder, "Don't worry, you can still make it up to me. You _do_ owe me after all." The vengeful wraith walked out with his prisoner in tow, having great plans for him.

Speaking of big plans, Kotal Kahn was absolutely not prepared for what entered into his throne room. He waited patiently for his soldiers to return. Instead he was met with something far graver.

The doors to the throne room flew open to which Kotal looked to at first with optimism.

"Did you—"

His hopes were soon dashed as he met eye to eye with the Dragon King.

"So the legends _were_ true."

A feeling of dread crept down Kotal's spine as he took a deep breath, "What have you done to my men?"

"They are fine," Onaga confirmed to the current emperor's relief, "they are my men after all."

Kahn's feeling of dread turned to rage when Onaga said that. He got up from his throne, getting up close and personal with the Dragon King, "Listen here, I don't care who you are but you cannot merely claim _my_ empire so quickly! I know it isn't the most stable, but for once I'm trying to fix this wretched realm! These are _my_ people now, not yours!"

Onaga calmly walked behind Kotal and took a seat in the emperor's throne, "If you want to win against the opposing forces, I'm afraid you have no choice. I have exactly what you want."

Kotal stood staunchly against the former emperor, "Nothing you have could make me want to liquidate Outworld to you!"

"Not even the use of my immortal army?"

It seemed that Kotal stood firm in his position yet he had second thoughts about his standing. The Dragon King's immortal army was the only chance Outworld had against Raiden, what else could be done? To make the deal even more tempting the Dragon King offered Kotal one more thing, "I will give to you a position in my new empire you cannot deny. You will either join, or I will kill you right here right now."

Feeling he had no choice, Kotal offered out his hand. The both shook on it, binding the deal. The Dragon King's sharp teeth shone through a bright grin, "You've made the best decision you could have. Welcome to the new Outworld regime, General Kotal."

Kotal Kahn felt shame in having surrendered Outworld to the Dragon King, yet he realized something. He now knew why his father surrendered Osh-Tekk to Shao Kahn all that time ago. It was under similar circumstances that Kotal K'etz was forced to resign his realm and now he, his son, is forced to do the very same under Onaga. In this moment, Kotal felt a new respect for his deceased father. The burden of ruler is indeed a heavy one that Kotal almost felt relieved to be free from.

Onaga looked out the window, motioning for his immortal army to make their way into the building. The mindless warriors marched inside in an orderly single file line. Kotal was pleased to see such an army, it put the ragtag one he had put together to shame.

Kotal looked to his new leader and asked, "Where are the ones who ventured to the forest?"

"They are awaiting your orders just outside the fortress."

Kotal made his way to Erron and Sheeva yet noticed something was missing. His first question was, "Where's Syzoth?"

Erron and Sheeva looked to each other with concerned glances. Erron was the first to speak up, "Well…y'see that giant dragon _was_ Reptile."

Kotal gave a doubtful look, "Quit kidding around, where is he? He was one of my most trusted advisors."

Sheeva confirmed was her cowboy partner just said, "Onaga was reincarnated through Reptile. I…don't particularly get how, but he was."

"Excuse me?!"

Kotal looked between the two of them as if was sure they were lying but he knew they were telling the truth, "We need to find a way to free Syzoth from…whatever just happened to him."

"Why don't we just use 'em fer his army n' then when we defeat Raiden, we kill Onaga," Erron suggested.

The former emperor pinched the bridge of his nose, "No, no we can't just do that. I hate to leave one of my own men under such a spell for a prolonged amount of time."

"He isn't one of your men anymore," Sheeva was quick to remind him. Kotal agreed, "Oh I know, but I still feel partially responsible."

The three of them began to think just what they could do to help Reptile out of his possession. Erron was the only one who came up with an idea, "An egg was used to make Onaga reborn. Y'think that egg could hatch and have Reptile inside?"

Both Kotal and Sheeva remained silent at his suggestion. Erron shrugged, "Don't look at me I was just throwin' ideas around."

"I don't know what we'll do," Kotal admitted, "we'll regroup and talk about this later. For now, I need to discuss things with the Onaga."

The three of them went their separate ways, unsure of what could be next in their future. Things seemed to be at their worst for them so that means it's only up from here, right? Only time will tell.


	10. Crumbling Alliances

Noob dragged Hanzo into the Brotherhood of Shadows' temple and laid him across the nearest table. The sadistic wraith reached into his pocket, revealing a glowing red dagger in his hand. He played with it in his hands as if to tease the Shirai Ryu in front of him. Next he drove the dagger into Hanzo's abdomen. He clenched the deep wound as jet black ooze poured out of it.

"Soon you'll be just like me, Hanzo," Noob mocked, "we're already not so different." Hanzo looked up to the wraith with a scowl, "Don't try to pull that with me, Bi-Han, we both know it's not true."

Noob knelt down and placed his hand on Hanzo's chin, "That so, mmmm? I've already explained how we aren't, so I think I'll just leave this conversation be. Now we'll be just like brothers." The dark liquid continued to cover Hanzo, leaving him unable to control his own body. Noob got back up and anticipated what was to come of this.

The transformation was soon completed. The yellow ninja was now mostly as black as Noob himself with only mere gold highlights showing what he was. The flames he once hid were now front in center as now his entire body was entirely on fire. Lastly his human features were contorted for his face was some odd combination of flesh and bone. He had no lips whatsoever and his eyes were deeply sunken-in like as if he had none at all. That isn't to say he had no eyes, for he did deep within his eye socket. These eyes were a deep burning orange as if to represent his now eternal rage, his eternal flame.

Noob nodded happily, "I've got you right where I want you. Welcome back to the world Scorpion." This newly reformed Scorpion did not speak, rather he growled angrily at his creator. It seemed all was going according to his plan until Scorpion attacked him by socking him in the face! By removing Scorpion's inhibitions, he allowed all of the anger he had built up within him to burn up and right now all of that rage was directed at Noob.

Noob tried to attack back yet Scorpion wrapped his chain around the now sorry wraith's throat. Noob tried to reason with Scorpion yet he couldn't. Where Hanzo might've felt bad about wanting to kill Bi-Han again, this new Scorpion felt no such regret. Were it not for Enenra intervening, his master would have surely died right there.

Bi-Han fell to the ground after Scorpion was put down, he caught his breath soon after.

"I was wrong," Noob admitted for once, "Even I can't control such raw anger. Still if I cannot control it, I can still direct it." He motioned to Enenra, "Get him to the dungeons! We'll have a job for him soon. I have business elsewhere." After he said that, Noob walked into a shadowy portal.

Back in Earthrealm, Sub-Zero, Kitana, and Frost set out to meet with the Special Forces in the United States. The world was recovering quite nicely after Shinnok's vicious invasion. Meeting up with these three were none other than Sonya and Jax, two of the highest ranked officers in the Special Forces.

The five of them met up in a Special Forces weapons storage facility. Liang stepped into the facility to see crates upon crates all around him. These crates were of course storing a whole menagerie of weaponry the Special Forces had on stand-by. Sitting at a nearby table was Jax who motioned for them to come over. Sub-Zero walked over and sat in the opposing seat of the table.

"Sonya will be over in a minute," Jax said, "it's a pleasure to see you again, Sub-Zero."

Sub-Zero glanced away, "I wish I could say the same to you, Mr. Briggs."

Jax instantly knew why Sub-Zero seemed distant, "I know what this is about. Believe me if I could have cancelled the Cyber Initiative 2.0 I would have. Sonya and I never supported it but the government went ahead with it anyway."

Frost seemed rather dismissive of him, "Oh yeah? Tch, what would you know of the consequences of cyberization?"

"A lot, I'd say," Jax argued while raising his cyborg arms, "I don't think you know what you're talking about little missy."

"Excuse her," Sub-Zero replied for Frost, "she's a little headstrong." Jax nodded, "It can be hard to be a father I know."

Both Liang and Frost turned to each other while he said, "I am not her father," and she said, "I am not his daughter!"

"Oops," Jax replied. He then took notice to Kitana, "She's not evil anymore is she?" She shook her head, "I've broken free of my control but unfortunately I can't say the same for the rest of the revenants."

"Damn shame," Briggs sighed, "it's nice to have you on our side again even if you aren't physically here."

"It's my pleasure I have to pay both Raiden and Noob back anyway…and Shao Kahn too if the rumors are true."

Sonya soon joined them accompanied by Johnny Cage. "Speaking of Noob, tell us more about what he's up to anyhow," Sonya asked.

"I don't know," Kuai answered honestly, "if he has bigger plans than overthrowing the Netherrealm then he hasn't said a thing about it to any of us."

"Hold on, your bro took over the Netherrealm," Johnny asked as he lowered his sunglasses, "I thought Liu and Kitana were in control."

"We were! But Noob slithered into control by winning over the people of the Netherrealm and turning them against us."

Kitana clenched her ethereal fists, "When I get my hands on that monster he'll have hell to pay!"

Johnny looked at her and noticed something was missing, "So if you're here, where's Liu? Did ya end up like me and Sonya?"

Kitana's eyes went down, "Worse…Noob's first act as new ruler was to have Liu executed."

"But _can_ you kill an already dead man," Jax questioned. Kitana pinched the bridge of her nose, "I don't know if he really killed him or put him in some horrific catatonic state like Raiden did to Shinnok, or kicked his spirit out of the Netherrealm or whatever I just know that either way he may as well be dead."

"Okay," Sonya interrupted, "we'll get to Noob when we have to. The matter at hand is how we fight Raiden. I don't want the kids to get involved...I fear he may be too much for them."

Jax nodded, "I agree, they handled Shinnok well but Raiden is a threat to Earthrealm. They're tough but I don't want them to get hurt, especially not Jacqui."

Johnny agreed with them too, "Cassie can sit this one out, she's tough but I don't know if she's that tough."

Frost turned to Sub-Zero, "You aren't going to leave me out of this like they are to them are they?" Liang looked back to her, "Not right now, but if it becomes too much I'm pulling you out."

"You can't do that!"

"Yes I can, I am the Grand Master of the Lin Kuei and you must listen to me," Sub-Zero asserted. Frost poked where the Dragon Medallion once was, "Maybe you're not as good as you think."

"I don't think I'm that good," Sub-Zero admitted, "but I know that you're the last of the cryomancers as far as I know. I won't let our race die to Raiden."

She groaned at that, "Fine, you give the order and I'll back out but until then I'm in this with you."

Kitana chimed in, "What of Shao Kahn? I know he's back, I've heard too much to know that he isn't."

"We haven't," Sonya answered bluntly, "so until we see more signs that he's back, we'll just take those sightings as unsubstantiated rumors. Right now we need to handle Raiden."

"But they aren't," Kitana vouched desperately, "I can feel that he's out there!"

An unexpected voice agreed with Sonya, "I know for fact Shao Kahn is back but he's on our side. Raiden is our number one concern."

Everyone in the facility turned to the source of the voice, it was a heavily wounded Fujin. Fujin bowed before them, "Greetings everyone." Kitana was most unsure of this, "Fujin you have been a friend to my family for a long time so I trust you _but_ how can you say Shao Kahn is on our side for sure?"

"Shao Kahn has been chosen as the Elder Gods' Champion as they have told me. With Raiden gone bad they came to the conclusion that the one who has come closest to slaying the thunder god was the emperor himself."

Sonya rubbed the back of her neck, "So I suppose those aren't unsubstantiated rumors anymore…but if Shao Kahn is under the Elder Gods' leash then we have no need to worry about him."

Kitana most certainly disagreed, "What?! Shao Kahn is an evil monster that can't be controlled by anybody, not even the Elder Gods. To assume he is on our side is insane!"

Sub-Zero turned to her, "I know he's taken everything from you at a young age, Kitana…but Sonya's right. We all must make compromises here. I don't want to work with the Special Forces since they resurrected Sektor but I have to. To make ends meet, we must work with Shao Kahn too."

The former princess crossed her arms defiantly, "I always have to compromise to 'make ends meet.' I'm sick of it. We don't need Shao Kahn to defeat Raiden."

"It doesn't hurt to have a back-up," Johnny suggested, "don't get me wrong it sucks that you have to work with Shao Kahn, but you think we want to work with him?"

Directly after he walked over to the nearest soda machine and grabbed himself a drink, "Yeah that's the stuff. Where was I again? Oh right right, I mean the guy tried to take over our realm and he ordered the deaths of all of our friends, most of which we still haven't gotten back, so this isn't any easier for us."

"That was surprisingly poignant, Johnny," Sonya said with a hint of shock. He sipped his soda, "Don't get used to it."

Kitana reconsidered everything and begrudgingly stood down, "He has done a lot to the rest of you too, yes. I hadn't thought of that. I will work with Shao Kahn but I won't like it."

"This entire plan will be made up of uneasy alliances I'm afraid," Fujin sadly noted, "Kotal Kahn will be working with us too since Raiden has challenged his realm to Mortal Kombat."

Sonya rested her head in her hands, "You mean the guy who attempted to invade our realm?"

"Yes," Fujin answered rather bluntly, "he has since apologized for it, which is more than what the reformed Shao Kahn can say. Speaking of which, I should be meeting with Kotal. I will see you all later." Fujin vanished in a tornado afterwards.

"Well that's just great," Jax sarcastically said, "I'm sure the former emperor and now emperor of Outworld will work together just fine with no problems whatsoever. This is starting to seem like a mess of a battleplan."

"I hesitate to even call it a plan," Johnny half-joked.

Standing outside the weapons storage facility were Raiden and his assistant Triborg. Triborg considered storming in right then and there yet Raiden stopped him.

"The time isn't right. Let them feel safe in their foolish plan to stop me. When the tournament comes, I will have Outworld along with them right where I want them."

Triborg listened to his employer, "Affirmative, I will not attack them now."

Raiden questioningly stroked his chin, "But how will we get the weapons we so need?"

"There are many more Special Forces facilities just like this," Triborg commented, "we'll just take from them instead."

"Direct me to them," Raiden demanded. Both he and Triborg flew off into the sky in search of supplies.

Fujin went to the Emperor's throne room in Outworld hoping to see Kotal Kahn. He appeared with a smile, "Greetings Kotal K—"

Yet he did not see Kotal in the throne, rather he saw a face had hadn't seen in thousands of years, "O-Onaga?!"

"In the flesh," Onaga confirmed, "I'm sorry my second in command can't see you today, I do hope I shall do."

Fujin's mind was racing right now. While he might've been able to convince Kotal Kahn to work with Shao Kahn there was no way that the Dragon King would consider it. Fujin gulped, "I…I…"

The Dragon King sneered at the wind god, "I know why you're here. You want me to work with Shao Kahn in some bid to stop Raiden. I would never _ever_ consider working with that traitorous vermin again in over one hundred million years!"

At this time Fujin became desperate. He got on his knees and begged, "You must! You must! It's the only way you will stand a chance against Raiden when the tournament comes tomorrow!"

"I've already got my connections," Onaga stated, "you may go now, this is just pitiful."

Fujin tried to reason with him, "He's under the Elder Gods' control! He couldn't betray you again even if he wanted to!"

Onaga boisterously chortled, "The Elder Gods?! Psh, when this is over I will become _the_ Elder God just you wait." Fujin's hope was crushed by Onaga's refusal. All hope was not lost as Kotal walked in, "Wait your highness, he's right! We need everyone on our side when it comes to defeating Raiden! I advise we take up his offer."

Onaga turned to his second with a stern glare, "Just who do you think you are to advise me, Kotal?"

Kotal swallowed his fear and stood up to the Dragon King, "I am your advisor it's my job!"

"It's your job to say yes to anything I say," Onaga replied with an insincere smile, "and you're not doing your job too good right now. You wouldn't want me to remove my immortal army from our ranks, would you?"

Try as he might, the former emperor couldn't help but collapse under Onaga's will, "Of course, what…what was I thinking?" Fujin looked to Kotal with pleading eyes as if to say please. Kotal merely turned the other cheek. The wind god sadly sighed, "If that is how it must be…so be it." Fujin then vanished without saying another word.

Kotal frowned. "I'm so sorry," Kotal whispered. Onaga grinned, "You've done well, Kotal." Kotal turned to his emperor, "I don't feel like I have."

"You've done what's best for this realm," Onaga replied, "we both know that my leadership is the only thing that can keep this realm together." Kotal nodded along mindlessly, "Of course." How did this happen. A once strong and beloved emperor has become little more than a yes man to a horrid dictator. Kotal knew in his heart that this was best for his realm, he _needed_ that immortal army yet being reduced to this is more than humiliating.

Onaga motioned Kotal to the door, "Be gone, Kotal. I have a private meeting incoming." Kotal obliged by leaving immediately. Directly proceeding Kotal's exit, Noob Saibot stepped out of a shadowy portal. The Dragon King greeted the wraith, "I've been expecting you."

"I've been busy," Noob said as an excuse, "but I kept my end of the bargain. I led Kotal to your tomb and now you owe the Brotherhood." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out that same glowing red dagger, "I've already got the Netherrealm Kamidogu but where are the others?"

"A stooge of mine has been collecting them I think he's searching for the last one in Edenia."

Noob rubbed his hands excitedly, "I'll just have to find this stooge and have him killed…the perfect job for Scorpion."

Onaga folded his hands, "You said you would bring them to me, didn't you?"

"Those were my exact words," Noob confirmed, "don't worry, I promised to bring them to you. And the promise I made was a Netherrealm death wish oath, a most sacred bond. If I don't follow through, then the Brotherhood of Shadow will have me executed."

The Dragon King was most pleased by this, "Excellent! Soon I will rule all the realms and nobody will be able to stop me!"

Listening just outside the door was Kotal Kahn. He silently gasped, "This is not good…"

He quietly stepped away and made it to the fortress' main gate. There he ran into Erron Black. Erron noticed Kotal's concern immediately, "What's got you so up in a tizzy?"

"Onaga is working with the Brotherhood of Shadow…he wishes to possess the all of the Kamidogu so he can rule all of the realms," Kotal whispered to the cowboy. Kotal's concern soon spread to Erron, "Y'serious? We can't just overthrow him, he's too powerful."

"Not just us…we need to find a way to contact Earthrealm so we can warn them about this. They can help us."

"Ain't they busy with Raiden," Erron was quick to bring up. Kotal crossed his arms, "We were too but this far surpasses Raiden. I doubt Fujin is ever coming back here after what Onaga said to him but there must be another way."

Both sat around thinking of an idea…but then it hit Erron, "I hear Bo' Rai Cho has a vacation home somewhere 'round these parts."

"Yes, he frequents both this realm and Outworld," Kotal noted, "it seems we'll have to hope he's there when we show up."

"Too risky fer you to head out there," Erron stopped him, "if the emperor catches you tryin' to go out there, he'll know somethin's up. I'll go."

Kotal was proud that Erron would do such a thing, "A wise idea, Erron. Tell me how it goes."

"You got it," the mercenary said while he took off. Kotal stood by the gate and said, "I'm going to pay that man handsomely when I get back into my throne."

Fujin's next and last stop was Edenia so he could meet with Shao Kahn. Fujin took extra precaution when it came to going to this realm, the last time he was there it was still a war torn mess. When he arrived he was pleasantly surprised to see the once great Edenian Palace was nearly rebuilt.

Like the others he had little faith in the Elder Gods' plan yet it seemed to be working so far. The wind god greeted King Kahn, "Shao Kahn, you know why I'm here."

"The Elder Gods told me," Shao Kahn confirmed, "you want me to head to Earthrealm so that I can strike Raiden down."

"Sadly you are correct. It is the reason you were brought back from purgatory after all."

Shao Kahn motioned to a nearby seat, "Come. Let us discuss some things."

Fujin obliged and sat down. Shao Kahn began, "The Elder Gods have told me that Liu Kang was slain. A pity, I was really looking forward to paying him back."

"This is not about revenge," the god of wind reminded him, "this is about saving all the realms from Raiden's madness."

Shao Kahn grinned evilly, "Why can't it be about both?" He then gestured to the rest of the room, "Do you like what I've done with this realm, Fujin?"

"I'm surprised at how you've fixed it up to say the least."

"Don't be," the king said in conceit, "it's no surprise that I'm the only one who could whip this realm back into shape."

Fujin half-heartedly replied, "Mmm…" Soon he remembered why he was there, "Oh I nearly forgot, I will be your escort to Outworld. This is where the tournament will be held and it is where you'll kill Raiden. There is one problem there, though…"

"What is it?"

"It's Onaga," Fujin warned, "he's returned from the dead."

Shao Kahn flexed confidently, "Don't be so afraid. Back when I poisoned him I couldn't take him on in a straight fist fight…now things have changed. I am much stronger now."

The wind god saw through Shao Kahn's ego, "You shouldn't be so sure that you can take him! For now, you have to worry about Raiden. The Dragon King can be dealt with later."

Their conversation was halted as one of the Edenian guards ran into the room with an old man in his arms.

"Lord Kahn," the soldier called out, "we found this presumed hermit passed out in Jade's Desert. You'll never believe what we found on him."

The guard revealed five of the six Kamidogu. Both Fujin and Kahn were baffled to see the Kamidogu in the hands of this frail looking old traveler. Shao Kahn quickly snatched the Kamidogu up, "Where's the Netherrealm Kamidogu?"

"He doesn't have it," the guard answered, "it must still be out there somewhere." Shao Kahn rubbed his chin, "These five Kamidogu still have a use to us."

Shao Kahn was right, as near invulnerable daggers the Kamidogu were already powerful weapons but each one had their own special ability. The only missing one, the Netherrealm Kamidogu, can corrupt even the purest. The Edenian Kamidogu could purify the corrupted, the Chaos Realm Kamidogu could make someone lose their mind, the Seidou Kamidogu could make the insane sane, the Outworld Kamidogu could deliver eternal life, and the Earthrealm Kamidogu could take that life away. Each one counteracted each other just as the realms counteract each other. It was said untold power would come to those who found all six of them along with Quan-Chi's Medallion.

Shao Kahn's eyes glimmered greedily as he held the Kamidogu in his hands, "This…this is true power. I can feel it rushing through me…the power…"

Fujin shot out a gust of wind, knocking the five powerful daggers out of Shao Kahn's hands, "You are not ready to possess such power! It will corrupt you more than you can possibly imagine!"

Suddenly the old man awoke from his slumber, "Wha…where are the Kamidogu?!"

"They belong to me now," Shao Kahn boasted. Fujin disagreed, "They belong to nobody!" The old man flipped back up, "No, they belong to the Elder Gods! I, Shujinko, I was sent by their messenger, Damashi, to gather all of them…yet Damashi vanished and left me without guidance. I am the Elder Gods' Champion!"

The Edenian king laughed when he heard the old man's story, "You're no Champion of the Elder Gods! I am the Champion of the Elder Gods!"

"You are not," Shujinko denied, "I know who you are, Shao Kahn. You would never be chosen as their champion."

Shao Kahn whistled, calling in Moloch. Moloch growled at Shujinko. Fujin shook his head, "If you are the Champion, I have not heard the Elder Gods say anything about you. I'm sorry, but I think you're a pawn in someone's game."

Shujinko roundhouse kicked the wind god right in the face, "I am no pawn!" Moloch tackled the false Champion onto the ground. Shao Kahn's guards quickly grabbed him by the arms.

"Take that madman to the dungeon," Shao Kahn demanded, "He's clearly delusional!"

Shujinko yelled at Shao Kahn, "You have little idea of what you're toying with! The Elder Gods will have your head."

Shao Kahn waved him off with a smile, "Whatever you say old man." The guards dragged him to the dungeon. Shao Kahn picked the Kamidogu up, "The power of these artifacts within my hands…"

Fujin got back up, "Wait…the Edenian Kamidogu can purify the corrupted. Yes, we can save Raiden from his madness with that!"

Shao Kahn sneered at Fujin, "No! I will kill Raiden and nothing will stop me! Revenge will be mine!"

"I told you this isn't about revenge," Fujin reminded, "it's about what's best for everyone!"

"I won't help if I don't get my revenge," Shao Kahn said to him, "I'm in this to kill Raiden and nothing more."

Fujin snatched the Edenian Kamidogu from Shao Kahn, "We don't need your help anymore." He grabbed the other Kamidogu as well, "I guess you really can't change. Farewell, Shao Kahn." Fujin vanished in a cyclone leaving Shao Kahn alone in his throne room.

Shao Kahn screamed in frustration, "Bah! I will head to Earthrealm and kill him myself! Raiden will be no more!"

Ermac rushed in, "We heard you scream, what's the matter?" Shao Kahn started marching out of the throne room, "I'm heading to Earthrealm, Ermac. I leave you in charge in my leave."

"Really…? You want us to lead Edenia?"

Shao Kahn nodded, "Only while I'm gone. I'll return sometime soon. I'm going to Earthrealm to kill Raiden myself."

"Are you sure you don't need us to come with you," the construct asked.

"I'm sure," Shao Kahn reaffirmed, "this is something I want to do by myself." Shao Kahn left his creation alone in the throne room. Ermac paced around the room worriedly, "How…how do we lead this place?"

He sat in Shao Kahn's throne and considered what to do, "This will be very difficult." He started to meditate in the throne for maximum concentration. Ermac hardly knew how to be a person, let alone a leader of many. How could he take Shao Kahn's place, even if only temporarily?

Waiting in the shadows just outside of the throne room was Noob Saibot. Noob clenched his fist, "Fujin has the Kamidogu now…looks like I'll have Scorpion take a trip to Earthrealm now."

Ermac opened his eyes, "We sense a great evil nearby." Noob knew that Ermac sensed him and as he was about to vanish, Ermac grabbed him with telekinesis.

"What are you doing here," Ermac demanded to know.

Noob chuckled, "That isn't what you should be concerned with." The grip on Noob's body grew tighter, "We think it is! Tell us why you're here!"

Noob snapped his fingers, causing two other Brotherhood of Shadow members to rise up with the still catatonic Jade in their grasp. "I'm not what you should be concerned with," Noob reiterated, "Now let me go."

Ermac only squeezed tighter, "Let her go!"

"Let me go first," Noob demanded, "if you do, she won't be hurt. If you don't, I can't make any promises of her fate."

The two Brotherhood cultists placed a kunai against Jade's throat. Again Noob taunted him, "What's it going to be, Ermac? Are you really going to let us kill her?"

Ermac relented and let Noob go, "No…just leave her alone." Noob nodded, "I'm a man of my word. You've made a wise choice."

The zealots tossed Jade over and Ermac caught her. Noob waved Ermac off, "I'll be seeing you two again, count on it." Noob sank into a tar-like liquid along with the two Brotherhood cultists. Ermac held Jade gingerly, "Her heart's still beating so they didn't do anything to her."

Again he heard her voice call out to him as he held her yet he could not contact her back. He took her into the throne room, hoping to find a way to awaken his friend.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I would like to thank everybody for the kind reception thus far. I know I say this a lot, but it really does mean a lot. I'm not one to ask for reviews but I'm glad when I get them. Things are indeed getting more interesting and from here they will spiral out of control (more than they have already). But I bring bad news too, I am also here to inform you that as of right now, updates for this and the rest of my stories will come to a temporary halt. I just wanted to let you know so nobody thinks I'm abandoning these stories, it's just the internet is such a fussy thing. So easy to lose, which is what's happening. Thank you for understanding._


	11. Revenge of the Dragon King

Ermac, using all of his power, reached deep into Jade's psyche. Within her mind he saw a young girl dressed in emerald clothes pacing worriedly around the Edenian temple. The oddest thing is that this was the temple directly after Shao Kahn's invasion. There were still fresh corpses littered around the grounds and it wasn't quite as decrepit as the temple would become later on.

Ermac tried to approach her yet he faded through her. This girl looked remarkably like Jade, yet noticeably younger. She seemed to be three at most. That's when Ermac realized he was in a memory.

A lieutenant of Shao Kahn's army approached the girl. He was quick to notice the color of her clothes, green was the color of the Edenian royal guard. The girl stepped away from the guard out of fear that her fate would be similar to that of the rest of her family in the royal guard. The soldier offered out his hand as a sign of peace, "Come here, I won't hurt you."

She cautiously approached…until Shao Kahn stepped in between then, "What are you doing?"

"She's just a toddler, my emperor. What else can I do?"

The then-current emperor of Outworld had an idea, "We could integrate her into our forces, the Edenian royal guard happen to be some of the finest in all the realms. To have one with us, even if this young, would be superb. We can train her."

The guard agreed, "That's what I was thinking." Again the guard offered his hand, "Who are you, little girl?"

"J-Jade," she answered shyly. She took his hand, knowing that it was the only way she might survive these events.

The memory faded into another one, Jade was now a teenager training within the Outworld training yard with other soldiers. A fellow soldier walked up to her, "Jade, the emperor wishes to speak with you personally." Jade saluted him and marched off to Shao Kahn's throne room.

Shao Kahn greeted her, "Ahhh, I see you've got my message. Come, I have an assignment for you."

"What assignment?"

"You are to become the personal guard to the princess, who has just turned 13," Shao Kahn informed her. She nodded but Shao Kahn raised his finger, " _and_ if she is to ever find out what happened to Edenia, you must assassinate her." Jade thought of it as another job, nothing more, nothing less so she agreed to those terms. Yet as time went on, Jade and Kitana became best friends so when the time came…Jade couldn't do it.

The memories faded away and that's when Ermac saw the present Jade standing in the black void of her mind mournfully. He approached her, "At last I've found you."

She looked to him, "Why didn't you tell me who I was? You knew."

"Shao Kahn told us not to, as his creation we are obliged to follow his will," Ermac answered truthfully, "and now that you know, we will…"

"You're going to have to kill me, right," Jade finished, "the very same assignment I was assigned with Kitana…but you already saw that."

Ermac sighed, "We don't want to kill you. And there's no reason to hate our master, Shao Kahn is a different man now. He has changed this realm for the better."

Jade shook her head, "He's not different…he's still the same he's ever been. You should know this since he put me into this coma!"

"He…he did," Ermac asked confusingly, "he said it was the work of Kotal Kahn's men."

Jade confirmed it by showing the memory, "Shao Kahn lied to you, Ermac. He doesn't care about Edenia nor does he care about you…he only seeks one thing and that's power."

The construct simply couldn't believe this. Shao Kahn had _lied_ to him? Surely there must have been a good reason for why but instead of explaining, he went right for brute force. At least he didn't kill her, right? That's an improvement, isn't it? Ermac held his head, "We were made to serve him! Without that, we have no purpose!"

Jade placed her hand on his shoulder, "Yes you do. You're not Shao Kahn's lackey."

"Then what are we?"

"You're Ermac," she stated, "You're your own man. Even if you are many souls, that doesn't mean you can't be an individual. So tell me, what do you want to be?"

Ermac looked into the black void of Jade's mind, "…we think it's time you woke up." His eyes were alight with green surging energy as he pulled both himself and her out of the mindscape. Jade had awoken, "Huh…? You actually woke me up?"

"That's why we went in there," Ermac said in a manner of fact kind of tone, "we weren't coming out unless you came out with us."

She smirked and jokingly said, "Well aren't _you_ the sweetest?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Errrr…it's what friends are for after all."

She quickly got serious, "So what are you going to do?"

"We…we don't know. Just give Shao Kahn some more time," he answered,  
"we don't want to jeopardize what he has built up. The Edenian people are happy again. It's too soon to drag them into a rebellion."

She looked out the window of the throne room to see a bustling village with plenty of happy citizens walking throughout it, "You know what? You're right. Let's let these people live their lives…for now."

The next day was the beginning of something big. The Mortal Kombat tournament to defend Outworld was to begin. Kotal Kahn waited anxiously for it to begin, as did the Dragon King. The Outworld Colosseum would be where the first fight would be held. Crowds from across the realms gathered to their seats. This was the first time Earthrealm ever attempted such a hostile tactic, it was most unusual.

Onaga sat down in the center of the arena, where Shao Kahn used to sit so many years ago, "Nothing Raiden could bring can possibly stand up to my immortal army."

Kotal took his side by his monarch, "You seem awfully confident."

Onaga leered to his cohort, "I have every reason to be. He doesn't stand a chance."

"May the Elder Gods be with us this day," he whispered to himself.

Onaga overheard him, "The Elder Gods have no say in what transpires today! I don't need them!"

It did not take much longer until Raiden entered the stadium. He approached but then paused when he saw who Kotal Kahn was sitting next to, "It cannot be!"

Onaga got up from his throne and met with his opponent, "It is. It's been a long time, Raiden."

"You're supposed to be dead! Shao Kahn poisoned you," Raiden fearfully denied, "how are you here?!"

"And you're supposed to be good," the Dragon King retorted, "is that fear I see in your eyes?"

Raiden grimaced at him, "I'm not scared of you! I will do anything to protect my realm!" Standing behind him were the revenants and an entire cyborg army. Onaga snickered, "Is that all you've got? I was hoping for a challenge."

Onaga signaled to the arena, summoning his immortal army from within the gates. They outnumbered Raiden's army by a wide margin. Again the Dragon King bragged, "You had better up your game if you wish to win."

Raiden's head was spinning, what was a certain victory was now slipping out of his grip. "You…you can't use them for the tournament! They're undead and not mortal! You're breaking the rules!"

"And you're resurrected zombies aren't the same thing," Onaga quickly reminded him, "As if the title _Mortal_ Kombat ever meant anything."

Raiden tugged at his collar, "I…I…" Kotal Kahn feared for his realm, but he almost felt Onaga being resurrected was near worth it just for his feeling of schadenfreude at the moment.

Onaga presented his hand, "I'll offer you a deal, Raiden. I'll let this whole tournament thing slip by if you just give me what I want."

Raiden growled, "Never! Attack!" The revenants attacked yet the cyborgs remained still. Triborg stepped away from Raiden's side and onto Onaga's side, "Sorry, boss. You've been generous…but I don't play for the losing side." Lightning shot out from Raiden in wrath, "You traitor!"

Onaga solely deflected the lightning like it was nothing, "Face it Raiden, you've got nothing left."

That's when Sub-Zero, Fujin, Jax, Sonya, and Johnny Cage leapt out into the battlegrounds. Fujin called out to his former friend, "Raiden! You need these!" Fujin pulled out the Kamidogu within his possession…yet one was missing! The Edenian Kamidogu was gone! The one he most desperately needed to save Raiden was gone!

Onaga's attention turned to the Kamidogu, "Such limitless power…I need them…"

Johnny questioned Fujin, "I thought we were trying to stop Raiden, not work with him."

"As of right now, Onaga takes greater priority! Maybe even greater than that is locating the Edenian Kamidogu!"

The immortal army along with the now realigned cyborgs took charge at the Earthrealm heroes. It was an uneasy alliance to be sure, yet a necessary one if the Dragon King was to be stopped. Things at first seemed bright for the heroes as Onaga's army was quick to go down…that was until Onaga resurrected them again.

Raiden decided to try and take on the Dragon King himself! He went in with a kick which barely affected the monstrous emperor. Onaga grabbed Raiden by the face and tossed him aside. Soon the other Earthrealmers turned their attention to Onaga! He was the source of the army's power! If they took him out, then the army would fall with him!

Jax went in with an uppercut, Sonya roundhouse kicked him in the face, Sub-Zero froze him by the legs, Johnny spirit kicked him, and finally Fujin used a gust of wind to slam him into the wall. In spite of their best efforts, Onaga got back up. Now was the zombies' turn! Liu Kang started it out with a bicycle kick, Kabal continued it with by stabbing Onaga in the shoulders with his hook swords, Kitana's heel went right into the undying monster's eye, Stryker lobbed a grenade right into his chest, Sindel's screams sent him flying, and finally Kung Lao's hat sliced his throat. Onaga fell again…but not for long at he flew into the air and slammed onto the ground, sending everybody onto the ground.

Fujin's attention turned to Kotal Kahn, "Call out your men! We can finish him together! I know we can!" Against his better judgement, Kotal agreed and shook the wind god's hand. He whistled, calling forth Erron Black, Sheeva, Skarlet, Ferra, and Torr. Erron rolled sand grenades under Onaga, sending him into the air. This left him open for Skarlet to kick him from behind with a teleporting kick. She even left a couple of kunai lodged into his back. Up next was Sheeva who used her might to repeatedly slam Onaga into the ground and she then tossed him over to Ferra and Torr. Torr used his hands to crush Onaga's rib cage and Ferra spat in his eye. After that Kotal Kahn finished him off by absorbing the power of the sun and throwing his fist right through Onaga's stomach and twisting. After this third assault, Onaga's army fell over into piles of dust.

The nightmare was seemingly over. Onaga was deceased…at least it seemed that way. Baffling everybody, Onaga _still_ stood back up, angrier than ever.

"I tire of these games! Earthrealm and the Kamidogu will belong to me!" He then pointed to Kotal Kahn, "And you! You are just like Shao Kahn, a miserable little traitor who will earn a traitor's death, along with the rest of you! It's clear you can't be trusted! None of this wretched realm can be!" He swooped over to the Kamidogu, now lying on the dirt floor, and picked them up, "I must admit you did a number on me, however. I'm in no condition to fight now…but another day will come when you will get your just desserts!" Onaga took off with the Kamidogu in his grasp, leaving a disorganized mess in his wake.

"…well now what," Jax wondered out lowd. Fujin shook his head, "I don't know…I simply don't know."

Trouble would not be over as out from the retreating crowds another threat arose. It was recognizable to everyone there. It was Shao Kahn! Fujin's head twisted to Shao Kahn, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to claim what I went through Earthrealm and now here for," he answered. He slowly approached Raiden's passed out body and tore his head clean off. The wind god picked himself up from his limpness and was ready to attack him, "You fool! We could have saved him!"

"It is what the Elder Gods wanted," Shao Kahn retorted, "if it wasn't, they would have stopped me like they have before."

He was right. Fujin knew this. Why _didn't_ they stop him? Was Raiden's death something the Elder God's really willed? It seemed as if it was so he stood down, at least for now.

"Is that all you came for? To claim revenge," Fujin asked of Shao Kahn.

"Of course not," Shao Kahn answered, "I've come here to lead you all."

Sonya stood up to the king of Edenia, "What makes you think that we'd listen to you?"

Shao Kahn gestured to the entire arena, "Look at the mess that listening to both Fujin and Kotal Kahn got you! You need me! I'm the strongest leader currently here!"

Johnny pulled his ex-wife back, "He's got a point. The guy still seems skeevy to me, but uhhhhh…I don't know if we have any other options."

"Fair enough," she begrudgingly acknowledged, "I guess we have no choice."

Shao Kahn folded his hands in a pleased manner, "Good, good. And I can offer a safe haven to Kotal Kahn and his men in the form of Edenia. They will surely be hunted down here, so it's only for the best."

Kotal squinted at Shao Kahn, "Why wouldn't we just go to Earthrealm?"

"Isn't that where'd they'd expect you to go?"

"He's right you know," Erron pointed out. Kotal pushed the mercenary away, "Hush."

Shao Kahn waited for an answer, "Well?"

Yet again, desperate times called for desperate measures so Kotal settled for Shao Kahn's offer, "Very well."

He gesticulated to Sheeva, Skarlet, Erron, Ferra, and Torr, "Come along!" Both former emperors of Outworld left the arena to return to Edenia.

When they were gone Kuai asked, "Are we really going to work with Shao Kahn?"

Fujin nodded, "I'm afraid so. It is the Elder Gods' will."

"We should get back to Earthrealm," Jax reminded them, "before Outworld forces show up to get us."

Fujin approved, "We should get going. Onaga will pay for this day!" Fujin motioned to a piece of flat debris on the ground, "Hop on! I will take us to the nearest portal!"

Everyone hopped on except for Sub-Zero. "Aren't you coming," Fujin asked with a bit of concern.

"Please go on," Kuai insisted, "there's something I need to do here. It's…important. I'll return to Earthrealm shortly." Fujin used a wind current to pick him and the platform the others were standing on away.

Alone in Outworld, Sub-Zero looked to the purple sky of the realm, "This is home of my ancestors. They must have left something here I need to know more about them."

Yet he was not as alone as he first thought as he heard someone in the arena, "Who's there?!" Standing above her corpse was Kitana's spirit. She was holding something, though. What he saw was the Edenian Kamidogu! He huffed, "You…you're the one who stole it?!"

She looked away in shame, "I needed it!"

"Taking it jeopardized the plan!"

"The plan to purify Raiden," she asked coyly, "oh like that would have helped. Onaga still being alive put an end to that idea quickly. It wouldn't have helped."

He frowned, "You're not wrong, it wouldn't have but stealing it without telling Fujin was a bad idea."

She took ill to Sub-Zero saying that, "I know how powerful these things are. Fujin carrying all of them at once was foolish anyway, which you saw when Onaga stole them right out from under him! If I didn't take this, he'd be one step closer to having them all!"

"You're right," he admitted, "I suppose it was a good thing you stole it. Why do you even need it?"

She told him, "I'm going to purify my corpse, allowing me to reenter it. I'll finally be alive again." After that, she drove the dagger into the body, healing its wounds and removing the evil Raiden had instilled into it. Kitana's spirit flew into the corpse, merging both body and mind to resurrect her. She arose, "It…it worked! I'm alive again."

Liang looked her over, "Your clothes aren't in the best condition, though." She shrugged, "I don't care as long as I'm alive that's all that matters. And I don't feel any corruption anymore…it's so nice."

He smiled at her, "I'm happy for you, but I should be on my way. I'll see you later, Kitana."

"You're not just going to go alone," Kitana inquired, feeling a little worried over him. He paused right at the entrance to the arena, "Are you asking me if you can come along?"

She waved her hand in a dismissive manner, "I'm not asking you anything, I'm just saying it's a bad idea to go looking around here alone."

He shrugged, "If you say so." He continued on his way out, alone. It did not take long for Kitana to trail after him, "You can't honestly expect to make it in this realm alone."

Again, Sub-Zero stopped, "I've already dragged many people down with me. My clan, Hanzo, and I refuse to let anybody else be included on that list."

"And I don't take no for an answer," she stubbornly replied, "I know this realm since I spent most of my life in it. I can guide you."

He raised his and turned her down, "The group back in Earthrealm needs all the help it can get. Go with them if you want to help somebody."

She shook her head, "And see Shao Kahn again? I'll delay that as much as I can. I insist I come." Kuai finally broke down and allowed her to follow along, "Very well. Where is the snowiest area of this realm?"

She pointed up to the mountains, "The peaks up there are in a constant blizzard. That's the place you want."

He turned his attention to those mountains, "Then that's where we shall go." The two blue clad heroes departed for the mountains of Outworld, to search for what remains of the once great Cryomancer civilization.

Onaga returned to his throne room clutching his wounded stomach. His new advisor, Triborg, followed in with him. He sat in his throne, "Traitors, the lot of them…you even betrayed your master. How can I trust you?"

"If you keep winning, I'll keep staying," Triborg answered candidly. Onaga groaned in pain, "Urgh…at least I've got the Kamidogu! Now all I need is the amulet and…"

When he took a good look at the Kamidogu, he was furious! The Edenian Kamidogu wasn't there! He snarled angrily, "That's another one missing!"

Noob Saibot rose up out of a black puddle, "So you've got most of the Kamidogu how utterly delightful!"

Triborg recognized Noob, "Bi-Han?" Noob turned to him, "I don't go by that name anymore, Sektor."

"And I no longer go by _that_ name," Triborg countered. Noob smirked, "Then we are even. It's good to see you again either way."

Onaga looked to Noob, "You know him?" Noob confirmed he did, "Yes, we were both members of the Lin Kuei in a previous life. I always did like how ruthless he was."

Triborg bowed graciously, "Same to you, Noob."

Onaga's eyes shifted between the two of them, "I see…then perhaps you both can be of assistance to me. The Edenian Kamidogu is missing. I need somebody to locate it along with the amulet! Only then can I take control of the realms!"

Noob kneeled before the Outwordian sovereign, "I will locate it." Onaga's frown did not change, "I do hope you aren't planning a betrayal. It's such an old thing to pull at this point."

"Remember the oath I made," Noob reminded him, "I swore to bring you the Kamidogu and I am a man of my word. I will bring both the amulet and the last Kamidogu to you, just as promised."

Onaga still felt leery about trusting Noob but at this point he proved himself to be the most loyal person he had on hand at the moment. Triborg asked, "What will you do with me?"

"Have your robot men scout Earthrealm for what I desire," Onaga demanded, "the Brotherhood of Shadow can search the Netherrealm and this realm. They could be in any realm, we can't be too careful."

Noob obeyed willingly, "The Brotherhood will not stop until we have everything needed."

Triborg had just one more question, "This plan is good and all but what about Shao Kahn?"

"I'll handle him personally," Onaga replied with a scowl forming upon his face, "I want to see his face when I take over the realms and ascend beyond godhood! Then I'll wipe him out of existence with a mere snap of my fingers!"

"Your grudge will be the end of this," Noob replied to him, "if we don't take care of him soon then this plan won't work."

"We? I never implied you'd be involved in Shao Kahn's death," Onaga said back to his servant, "only I can kill him."

Noob crossed his arms defiantly, "And I'm just saying that could prove fatal to you." The Dragon King's scowl became worse the more Noob questioned him, "Do you not think I can take Shao Kahn alone?"

"You're putting words in my mouth," Noob countered, "I never implied such a thing, but I am suggesting it's a possibility. Shao Kahn could strike before you even have all the Kamidogu."

Onaga derided such an idea, "I could still take him, even without them!" Triborg and Noob gazed at each other and then to the emperor nervously. Again Noob bowed, "I'm sorry to have ever doubted you."

Onaga was most pleased by his change in attitude, "That's what I like to hear. You're both dismissed."

Feeling dejected, Noob sank through the floor in the same black puddle he entered and Triborg marched out the door. Onaga stroked his chin in consideration, "Both of them are possible traitors to the empire, I can feel it. I must have them assassinated when their task is complete."

Paranoia flooded the Dragon King's mind. Anyone at any time could be out to get him! Not him! Not again! As such, he got up from his throne and slammed the entryway shut and locked it up tight. Not only that but he had the windows barricaded as well! Still not quite content with the protection, he decided a spike pit that circled the room would be in his best interests.

He paced nervously around the room, "Yes, yes, a spike pit would be perfect. Not only that, but all windows must be rid of! And the room must be magically sealed off to prevent any teleporters from getting their grubby hands on my throne!"

With a plan in his mind, Onaga knew he had to get to work on it quickly! No would-be traitor or assassin would kill the great Dragon King, not again, not ever! His rule over Outworld will last for an eternity!


	12. The Quest for the Kamidogu

Fujin, having nowhere else to go, went to the Elder Gods for advice. He kneeled in their presence as soon as he met with them, "Elder Gods, I need your wisdom! I have lost the Kamidogu to Onaga, Shao Kahn has killed Raiden, and our forces are dwindling!"

Speaking in unison the Elder Gods simply answered, "Have faith." Fujin's eye twitched slightly at their answer to his pleas, "But…but…how can I simply have faith in this crisis? Surely you can put an end to this right now"

"No," they responded. The wind god's patience wore thin at this, "I just…I need your help!" The Elder Gods circled around him, "It is not that you lack faith in us, it is that you lack faith in yourself." Fujin paused, "Well…"

They took sympathy to the inexperienced god, "Being Earthrealm's protector is quite the responsibility, we know. You never thought you'd have to take Raiden's place."

"Speaking of the thunder god, was it really in your plan to kill him? Why didn't you stop Shao Kahn?"

The Elder Gods looked to each other and then to their servant, "Raiden has died many times before. This is not the first and we are sure it will not be the last."

Fujin quizzically cocked an eyebrow, "Does that mean he'll…?"

"Maybe," they vaguely answered, "we will tell you this, though. You _need_ Shao Kahn. You will know why when the time comes."

Fujin scratched his head, "We need him? But why?"

They did not answer, "You are dismissed, we have said enough as is. But we wish you luck on your journey. You will need it."

Fujin bowed gracefully, "Thank you, Elder Gods." He departed after that, returning to a Special Forces warehouse in Nevada.

Jax was the first to question him, "What'd they say?"

"That we must have faith," Fujin replied, "think about it, we have not lost all of our comrades yet. In fact, I'd say this is going better for us than Shao Kahn's invasion." Jax agreed actually, "Damn right, 'least I'm still alive."

Johnny cracked his knuckles, "So when we goin' to kick dragon boy's ass? We can't let him get all those magical dagger things." Sonya sighed, "We can't just 'kick his ass' Johnny. You saw what he survived the last time we encountered him."

Fujin sat down and folded his hands, "I'm still not sure what can be done about Onaga. His immortal army being out of the question at least makes our lives easier. Kotal Kahn, Shao Kahn, and I will formulate a plan. Kotal had Onaga on his knees for a moment so perhaps he and Shao can kill Onaga together…if I can get them to work together."

Johnny laughed, "Yeah, that'll be the day! Outworlders don't play nicely as is, I doubt the two emperors will be willing to work together."

The wind god turned to Johnny, "Kotal Kahn will do anything when his people are in danger…but you might be right about Shao Kahn. Knowing him, he'll want to take on Onaga alone which could mean suicide for him."

Sonya scoffed, "That's a bad thing?" Fujin became serious at that moment, "Yes, it is. Believe it or not, when I went to Edenia it was the best it had been in a long time. Without his rule, who is to say what may happen to them? Perhaps they could fall into war yet again." He could have told them that the Elder Gods said he was absolutely necessary but he decided the time wasn't right.

The four of them sat silently for a minute. Again Jax was the first to speak up, "So…when do we strike?"

"That is not up to me," Fujin replied, "only Kotal and Shao have control over that."

Sonya looked around the room, "Hey where's Sub-Zero and Kitana?" Johnny repeatedly lowered and raised his eyebrows with a big grin on his face, "Oh gee, I wonder." Sonya was instantly disgusted, "Johnny!" Jax popped a cigar in his mouth with a smirk on his face, "I don't know, seems likely to me. I thought that frosty kid that was with him was their daughter to be honest." Johnny pointed his fingers at Jax, "Heeeeeeeey I knew I wasn't the only one who saw it! She has her daddy's style and her mother's anger!" Fujin sighed, "You mortals are peculiar sometimes. Kuai said he had business in Outworld, he will be rejoining us shortly."

Johnny ribbed Jax, "Yeah 'business' he says." Johnny then raised his fist. Sonya looked at her partner, "Please don't give him the satisfaction. _Please._ " Jax fistbumped Johnny…right into the wall, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time, Cage." Johnny rearranged his sunglasses and stood back up, "I get that a lot. Mostly for Ninja Mime 2: Mime Harder. People hated that one and I don't know why."

"It ruined the franchise," Jax commented, "but Ninja Mime 3 saved it." Johnny crossed his arms, "They didn't even involve me in that one! Execs replaced me…" Jax smirk grew wider, "That's why it saved it." Sonya snickered quietly. Fujin scratched his head, "Ninja Mime…?" The now upset former actor groaned, "If I wanted to be verbally abused like this I would have stayed home with Cassie."

Sonya coughed, "On a more serious note, Hanzo has been missing for a long time. Is the Shirai Ryu holding up without him?"

"Kenshi has taken up to watching it along with Takeda in Hanzo's absence," Fujin replied, "they're doing just fine. Perhaps they can help us in our efforts."

"Gonna need all the help we can get," Jax added, "I'd go for it."

"We will go another day, for now we need all the rest we can get."

As the plot to save Earthrealm was slowly being built, Kotal Kahn and Shao Kahn returned to Edenia. Kotal thought, "I can only imagine the turmoil Shao Kahn has brought to this already forsaken realm." To him and his followers' surprise when they arrived nearly everything was pristine, as if the realm had never been in a vicious civil war.

Kotal's mouth was left agape, "This is your work?" Shao Kahn proudly stood in front of his realm, "Yes! It certainly is impressive isn't it?" The villagers crowded around their king. They sneered at Kotal, knowing him as the man who refused to free their realm. Kotal backed away until Shao Kahn raised his hand, "Let's not be hasty! Sure this is the man who refused to free your realm, the man who single handedly led this realm into civil war due to his stubborn ways, and has led invasions in this realm just so he could take it all for himself but these are troubling times! We are facing against the Dragon King after all, we need him to assist us."

Kotal stared at Shao with very concerned eyes. He remained silent in both his fear and his bewilderment. Erron tapped him on the shoulder, "What's so troublin', boss?"

"This is not the Shao Kahn I know," Kotal whispered, "he is planning something." With a smile, Shao Kahn offered his hand, "Follow me to the Edenian Palace, Kotal. You can take your men with you. They'll be welcome here."

Kotal reluctantly followed. He looked back to his followers, "Be on your guard, you can never tell what Shao Kahn has under his sleeves."

Ferra scratched her head confusingly, "Skull helmet man have no sleeves. What Kotal mean by this?" Torr shrugged. Now that things had calmed, they approached the palace in silence. Shao Kahn led them into his throne room, "I insist you see the full view of the realm, it's very beautiful from up here." Kotal looked out and gasped, "Is…is that an armory? It's so much nicer than that one in Outworld."

Shao Kahn nodded. Kotal looked to his former emperor with suspicious eyes, "What's your game here, Shao? You're never this nice." Shao Kahn cackled, "I'm letting you know how much of a better leader I am than you. The Elder Gods won't let me kill you, so this is the next best thing." Kotal growled defensively, "It won't work! I won't be intimidated by the likes of you!"

The king sat in his throne with a sense of smugness, "I'm not trying to intimidate you, I'm just showing you how to lead a realm." Kotal put his foot down, "I am a better leader than you ever could be!"

"Tell me this, then. Is it my realm or your realm that's being controlled by a horrible dictator at this moment? It sure isn't mine, is it?"

Erron pointed his gun at Shao, "This gonna be a problem?" Shao Kahn leaned forward in his throne, staring the cowboy down, "It will be if you make it one. Put those toys away, save that for Outworld."

Kotal gestured at Erron, forcing him to holster his weapons. The king was most pleased by this, "If you want to save your realm, you'll listen to me."

"I've had enough of blindly listening to others, it's what allowed Onaga to take over and it's what allowed my people to fall under your horrible rule! These people may've forgotten what you've done to so many realms, but I haven't," Kotal stood his ground firmly, looking like he wasn't going to budge this time; "we are partners in this, Shao, but that doesn't make me a follower to you." Kotal expected Shao Kahn's rage but what he got instead was his admiration, "You've surprised me. Here I thought you lost your backbone but you had it all along."

Ermac and Jade walked into the throne room soon after. Kotal turned to Ermac, "Ermac?! So this is where you've been. I was worried sick over you." Ermac smiled at Kotal's presence, "We felt an obligation to our original master, but we're glad to see you again. Where is Reptile…?"

"Lost," Kotal replied, "lost within the mind of the Dragon King. A striking blow to us back at home, but we managed without him."

Shao Kahn laughed, "A striking blow? Reptile? That disgusting vermin was a pathetic creature. He was near useless to us." Kotal glared at the king, "I won't let you insult my men like that." Ermac stood between them, "There is no need to fight." The construct then turned to his master, "Jade wishes to speak with you in private, Lord Kahn."

Shao Kahn got up from his throne, "Oh very well. I will return shortly, I have to speak with someone."

Jade and Shao Kahn departed into the hall just outside the throne room. The assassin was quite upset at her manipulator, "I know who you are now, Shao Kahn. You deceived me, you lied to me, and you nearly made me into something I'm not."

"It was for the good of this realm I assure you," Shao used as an excuse but she merely glowered at him, "Don't lie to me, I'm not as dumb as I was before. I should kill you for all you did but I know I can't. It would splinter Edenia again…"

Shao Kahn grinned deviously, "You wouldn't be able to kill me anyhow, and you know it." Her face only grew sourer the more the king spoke, "You only lead this realm through manipulation of the people. One day, you'll slip up and everyone will see you for what you really are. You're not a hero."

"But I sure seem like one, don't I," he replied smugly, "we're done here, I grow tired of this conversation."

Jade rose a finger as if to object yet Shao Kahn walked back into the throne room carelessly, not allowing her to say a thing. She pouted, "There must be some way to knock him off his high horse without destroying this realm in the process."

Shao Kahn returned to the room to much fanfare from his guards. Kotal cocked his eyebrow, "What was that all about?"

"She just had some concerns with how I was running things," Shao simply answered. Kotal gasped, "And you didn't kill her?! I don't believe it."

Shao Kahn waved his hand in a dismissive fashion, "That's the old Shao Kahn, Kotal. I'd never kill anyone for having suggestions about how I should run things anymore. I'm always willing to listen to my people!"

Kotal was speechless. There was nothing more he could say. Shao Kahn was always a brutal dictator but now he's a beloved king? Was this Edenia or was it Chaos Realm?! Ferra tapped his should, "You okay emperor man?"

The former emperor took a few minutes to respond, "Wha…oh right yes, yes of course. I'm just in a bit of shock."

Ermac turned to Kotal, "You shouldn't be. This is the Shao Kahn we always knew." The room grew silent afterwards. There wasn't much left to discuss at the moment. One of Edenian guards walked to his king and saluted, "My lord, that insane old drifter we threw in the dungeon wishes to speak with you."

"Everyone wants to speak with me today it seems," Shao Kahn commented as he walked back out. Kotal breathed a sigh of relief, "He's gone. With him gone we need to discuss what's next for us." The guard raised his baton, "If any of you dare to suggest betrayal then I will not hesitate to tell the king."

Skarlet raised her kunai, "I doubt you or any of these guards could take us on." Ermac stood defiantly, "They might not, but we could." Standing behind him were Rain and Tanya. Kotal was quick to recognize those two, "Traitors!" Kotal's group raised their defenses hastily when they noticed the two Edenian traitors.

Tanya smirked, "Did you miss me, Kotal?" He shook his head, "No. But I will admit, Rain was quite valuable asset." Rain shrugged, "I asked for control of Edenia politely but you refused to comply. I did what I had to." Erron twirled around his revolvers, "Don't think you _had_ to do it. Let's face it, neither of you had to." Tanya objected, "I had to free my realm!"

"Don't play coy," Skarlet replied, "you only did it so that you could claim the realm for yourself. You were the one who originally helped sell it out." The treacherous Edenian sighed, "Don't remind me, I've regretted it ever since." Ermac could feel the rising tension within the room, "Please, we don't need to fight. We're stronger together than we are alone."

Kotal agreed, "He's right. As much as I'd like to punish these cretins, we mustn't." Rain laughed arrogantly, "That's right! You couldn't even touch me if you tried!" Tanya smacked him in the face, "This is no time for your ego, you idiot!" Kotal moved on to the next question, "I know Mileena was killed, but where's her murderer?"

"D'Vorah was paid back in kind," Tanya then pointed to her carcass mounted above Shao Kahn's throne, "as you can see."

The former emperor was nearly sick at such a sight, "At least she's dead…"

Deep within the dungeons of the Edenian temple, Shao Kahn met with Shujinko, who was chained to the wall. The king asked, "What do you want? I'm busy."

"I want my freedom," Shujinko replied, "I will be willing to work with you if you grant me that."

Shao Kahn considered his offer briefly but soon denied it, "You really are deranged if you think I'd want that." Shujinko begged, "Please! I cannot stay locked up in here forever!" Shao Kahn stroked his chin, "You are taking up valuable space. Perhaps I can have you executed."

"But I have done no wrong," the old man resisted. Shao Kahn shook his head, "Oh yes you have, you attempted to murder me. That is punishable by death, you know."

Shao Kahn called upon his Oni servant, Moloch. Moloch growled at the delusional old man. Shujinko struggled in his shackles, "Please! Have mercy!" Shao Kahn merely laughed as he pleaded, "If you want your life, then you're willing to fight for it! You must fight Moloch in Mortal Kombat!" Shujinko nodded, "If it is what I must do, then it's what I must do."

"If you win, then maybe I will allow you in my ranks," Shao Kahn offered, "but if you lose, then Moloch gets his dinner. I will give you time to prepare of course. Tomorrow there will be bloodshed, whether it will be yours or his I don't know."

Shujinko willingly went along with it, "I will do anything for freedom."

Back in Outworld, Sub-Zero and Kitana traveled up into the frozen mountains. "So what is it you're looking for," Kitana wondered.

"I'm looking for a Cryomancer stronghold," Sub-Zero replied. The once princess rose an eyebrow, "But why? The Cryomancers are long extinct, what are you hoping to find?"

"I'm hoping to find out more about my ancestors," the half-cryomancer answered, "I never knew much about them. I want to learn more. Whether I find ancient texts or some other artifact I just want to know what they were like." He hiked further up the chilly terrain along with his partner. Kitana heard something approaching, "Wait…do you hear that?"

The entire ground shook with each step. Both turned back and saw a large white furred beast approaching them. Kitana unsheathed her fans, "A yeti…"

She popped them open and ran towards the marauding monster. She stabbed it with her fans but it was barely effective as it shoved her off. She fell into the cold snowy ground with a thud. She rubbed her head, "I've never encountered one of these things."

Sub-Zero formed an ice javelin and tossed it right into the monster's eye. It screeched in pain. This left it open, allowing Kitana to jump kick it in the stomach. It was a rather ineffective move however. The yeti smacked Kitana away soon after. Sub-Zero slid over to her and picked her up, "I've got an idea. Grab my hand." She gripped onto his left hand tightly. He formed a long ice sword and handed it to her, "I'll throw you at it, you'll know what to do."

Using all of his might, Kuai tossed her right at the yeti. While in mid-air she drove the blade right through the monster's spinal cord, severing it. After that she tossed her fans into its neck, lopping the head off. She approached the decapitated corpse and picked her fans up, "That takes care of that."

Sub-Zero beamed proudly, "I think we make a good team." She nodded in agreement, "You're right, we do." The both were pleased with themselves and with each other. Kitana pointed up the mountain, "Should we head up?"

Kuai took note of the sky, "No. It's growing dark, we should camp out up here…say how aren't you cold?"

"Edenians have amazing weather tolerance," Kitana answered, "we could survive in nearly any weather. Why else do you think we wear clothes like this?"

Sub-Zero gulped, "Errrm I'd rather not answer that." She chuckled slightly, "Fair enough." Though it was a happy time, Sub-Zero soon turned grim, "I just don't know what I'll do about my brother. He's caused so much trouble for us all, but I know it's not his fault. He cannot control what he does."

"If I was able to be turned so easily, why can't your brother," She questioned. Sub-Zero lowered his head sadly, "Whatever Quan-Chi did to him was much stronger than what he did to you or the other revenants. His corruption runs too deep to change easily."

"We could always use the Edenian Kamidogu," She suggested. Sub-Zero remembered she still had it, "You're right. That _could_ theoretically free Bi-Han. After this, we'll have to do that." She then brought something up, "We should find somewhere to stay if we're camping out up here." He pointed to a nearby cave, "That seems to be where the yeti huddled. We'll try that."

The two of them huddled into the cave. Sub-Zero had an idea, "Ever eat yeti before?" Kitana caught onto it real fast, "If you're asking, I imagine we're about to."

"You're right," he answered, "I'll you find a way to get a fire going. I'll drag in the meat." She looked around the cave for anything she could use, and found some sticks. She rubbed the sticks together, starting a fire with the friction. Sub-Zero walked back in dragging the beast's massive arm, "I don't think we'll starve, that's for sure." Just in case he raised an ice wall around the mouth of the cave, "It'll look like this cave isn't even here. If anybody or anything comes by, they won't intrude while we sleep." She nodded, "Good idea."

Watching from the distance was a masked soldier wearing protective armor and a helmet. On the soldier's back was an insignia of a red dragon's face. The soldier got on a walky-talky, "Alert the Brotherhood. We found the last Kamidogu."

Receiving this message within the Netherrealm was none other than Noob. He had been anxiously waiting for the location of the last Kamidogu. Another soldier dressed in crimson and black approached the shadowy leader of the Brotherhood. The soldier kneeled, "One of our men has found the Edenian Kamidogu high in the mountains of Outworld. He says the former queen of this realm and your brother are carrying it."

Noob rubbed his hands deviously, "I should have known my dearest brother would be involved with this somehow." He got up from his seat, "With all the Kamidogu in my hand, our plan shall soon unfold." The soldier stood up and saluted, "The Red Dragon is glad to be of service. Our boss wants to meet with you personally after this ordeal is over."

"That's exactly what I was going to do," Noob replied, "but yet there is one problem. We also need Quan-Chi's amulet. Are you sure we can't find anything on it?"

"Negative. The Brotherhood, Tekunin, and our forces have found nothing. Our best guess is that Fujin and the others in Earthrealm might have it. Shinnok was the last to have it as far as we know. Perhaps it was destroyed?"

Noob stomped his foot in rage, "Bah! Then forget about it, we don't need it! But what if it wasn't…? Have the Red Dragon 'interrogate' those Earthrealmers about it."

The Red Dragon goon got on a walky talky, "Attention to all Red Dragon recruits, the Brotherhood wants Quan-Chi's medallion by any means necessary. This means finding Fujin or any of his lackeys so they can tell you! Over and out!" Noob clenched his fist victoriously, "While you're doing that, I'll have to see the Dragon King. I'll tell him we've got the last Kamidogu in our sights. After that, I'll give my brother a visit."

Noob vanished afterwards. While he expected to arrive within the Dragon King's throne room, he instead arrived in the corridor just outside. He rubbed his chin in confusion, "Wha-!? He blocked me out of his chamber?" He knocked on the large double doors keeping him out along with the spells. Onaga replied, "Who's there?"

"It's Noob Saibot and I have important news!"

The doors opened wide showing that Onaga was renovating his chambers. The floor circling the diameter of the room was in the middle of being removed to make room for the spikes. Noob looked around it quite impressed, "You work fast." Onaga remained in his throne, "Cut the pleasantries. What is this news you speak of?"

"I have the Netherrealm Kamidogu," Noob replied, handing it over. Onaga took it, "But what of the last one?" Noob continued, "You didn't let me finish. The Edenian Kamidogu is within this very realm. I'll go fetch it for you."

Onaga was still not entirely content by this, "Oh good. Yet that leaves us without Shinnok's amulet. The Kamidogu are strong enough as is but with the amulet, it could increase their power tenfold!"

The wraith scratched the back of his neck, feeling a little nervous, "Well…the problem there is that we have no leads on where it may be. I'm having the Red Dragon look into it but…"

"But nothing," Onaga snarled, "if you do not retrieve that amulet then you will have outlived your usefulness to me. We can't have that, can we?"

"Outlived my usefulness? If you kill me, you'll be making more enemies than you can deal with."

Onaga picked himself up from his throne, standing above Noob, "I can deal with anything you may throw at me." After that, Onaga lifted Noob up by his neck, "Do we understand each other?" Noob nodded, letting Onaga drop him, "Good. Now go fetch that Kamidogu before I have you killed where you stand."

Noob absolutely despised the Dragon King's dominance over him, yet if he was to continue on with his plan then he would need to keep it up. Not to mention that Onaga was right, he could kill the wraith almost instantaneously if they fought now. So he went along with Onaga's demands, "Of course. I will bring it to you."

Noob vanished directly afterwards. Onaga stroked his chin, "I know he's up to something. When he brings me that Kamidogu I just might have him killed. Actually I have an idea…" He told a set of his guards to head up to the mountains as well, telling them to take the Kamidogu for themselves and then to bring it back. The guards departed with the orders in mind. Following behind them were an entire army.

Onaga watched them make their way to the mountains. He was most delighted by this turn of events, "Soon I'll have that possible traitor's head on a pike _and_ all of the Kamidogu! Forget the amulet, I don't need it anyway!"

But unbeknownst to any of them, the amulet was directly under their noses. It would not be long until someone would find it there no doubt but who it will be is uncertain. It could be anybody after all…


	13. Onaga's Deception

The Shirai Ryu's headquarters was in an undisclosed part of Japan, only known to fellow members, the Special Forces, and what was left of the Lin Kuei. Both key members of the Special Forces and Frost, de facto leader of the Lin Kuei with Sub-Zero missing, were meeting with the now thriving clan.

Meeting with them was Takeda Takaheshi, the student of the grand master Hanazo Hasashi. Takeda greeted them, "It's a pleasure to see you all again." Yet he was quite concerned by their presence," So…what brings you here?"

"We need help in defeating the Dragon King," Fujin explained. Takeda was rather confused when he brought up that name, "Who…?"

The wind god was at first confused but then he remembered, "Oh right you don't know who the Dragon King is. Allow me to explain…"

Fujin went on to tell the tale of the great Dragon King, Onaga. Being someone who was around to see his rise to power, Fujin was able to inform the young Takeda of who he was and why he should be feared. Afterwards Johnny, Jax, and Sonya told him how they were there firsthand to see his raw power in action.

"He survived an onslaught like that," Takeda asked, baffled at how he could.

Johnny answered, "Oooooh yeah he did, it almost looked like we got him but…then he got away."

"I would love to let the Shirai Ryu help you all. But without Hanzo, I can't. He is the leader of the clan, not me. He has been missing for weeks since he went to meet with the Lin Kuei."

Frost sighed, "Almost hate to tell you this, but according to my grand master, yours got kidnapped. Lots happened in those couple weeks I'd say."

Takeda turned to her with a bewildered look, "I figured as much but…I didn't want to be hasty. Who has him?"

"Noob Saibot," Fujin answered.

Takeda's heart sank when he heard that name, "I don't believe it." His master had told him how he had killed the elder Sub-Zero in cold blood so many years ago and he became a darkened wraith. But according to the younger Sub-Zero, Noob was killed in a Soulnado! That should have been inescapable. There's no way anyone could survive that. But if they were telling the truth, he somehow found a way.

"Believe it," Jax retorted, "I don't believe what's goin' on either but it's happening right in front of us. That isn't even the worst of what happened."

Johnny raised his finger, "Is the worst of it that the almighty overlord we're trying to stop is only missing one piece in his key to world domination? Is it that the Lin Kuei is near dead thanks to a maniac cyborg, ooooooor is it that tall, dark, and evil is clearly planning something of his own that we have no info on? Perhaps it's that we're being forced to work with a sociopathic dictator who tried killing us just so the other even worse dictator doesn't do it first?"

Sonya shook her head, "As of right now I'd say the worst of it is that our communications are down. I can't get a signal."

Jax cracked his knuckles, "Someone might be blocking us out. I'll go secure the parameters."

"Please allow some of the Shirai Ryu to help you," Takeda insisted, "I wouldn't want Jacqui's father to get hurt."

Jax paused for a second, "About that…"

They'd have to put their conversation on hold as they heard gunshots coming from outside the walls of the shrine. One of the Shirai Ryu came running in through the doorway but was met with a sword in his back before he could say anything. Standing behind him was a Red Dragon soldier. The soldier aimed his gun at the Special Forces, "I've found them! Surround the facility, none of them can be let out alive!"

More Dred Dragon flooded in through the other entrances, surrounding the heroes!

"They're trying to flank us," Jax cried out, "well numbers can't help 'em!" He went running into battle, deflecting every bullet that came at him with his metal arms. He slammed his fist on the ground, destabilizing every Red Dragon that went around him. As fast as he could, he stomped on the ones who were down to make sure they stayed down. Afterwards he picked up one of their assault rifles and took aim at whoever was left.

Johnny and Sonya worked together when it came to defeating the others. Their strategy was to have Johnny soften them up and for Sonya to lay the finishing blow. In spite of all their issues, they worked together remarkably well. Along with the Shirai Ryu and Frost's help, they had made quick work of the Red Dragon. That was until tear gas bombs rolled in through the door. After that, Tekunin cyborgs arrived along with more waves of the Red Dragon, this time dressed in gas masks.

The tear gas proved too much as is, having the two clans beat down on them was enough to send most of them to the ground. That was until Fujin cleared the tear gas out with wind. With his vision clear he saw that he was the last man standing. That was fine, he could take them all. Yet they too stopped fighting with the arrival of the Triborg, the leader of the Tekunin and field commander of this operation.

Triborg chose not to fight but rather to talk, "Where's Shinnok's Amulet? I know you have it!" Fujin looked at the cyborg with confused eyes, "But I don't. I…I haven't seen it since Shinnok's invasion!"

Triborg clenched his fist, "Don't toy with me, if you don't tell me where it is I will kill you."

Again Fujin denied these accusations, "I'm serious we don't have it. The only person who could have it is…" That's when they both realized that the person who took ownership of amulet must've been the last person who confronted Shinnok…Raiden. Triborg flew back, "I want everyone to raid the Sky Temple! We will find that amulet!" The Red Dragon and Tekunin took off for elsewhere. Triborg remained, as he saw someone of interest. He approached Frost's limp body, "A Lin Kuei that managed to escape. Well I'll fix that." He picked her up by the arms, "Yes, this will do nicely."

Fujin intervened, whirling the malevolent cyborg up into the air into a tornado. Triborg let go of the young girl in the chaos, allowing Fujin to send him flying. Triborg came back in seconds, "Did you really expect me to give up that easily?"

Fujin got in a fighting stance, "I'm giving you a chance to flee. If I were you, I'd take it." Triborg landed back into the shrine, "I refuse to let any Lin Kuei survive."

To his surprise, Frost tackled him and froze his legs to the ground, "You killed my clan! Now I'm going to get revenge!" Triborg shoved her away and used his jets to melt the ice. He shot flames at her, "This is far from over, Lin Kuei! Whatever is left of your clan will be destroyed! But for now, I bid you adieu. That amulet isn't going to find itself." He flew away, leaving the Special Forces and Shirai Ryu in shambles. Takeda was the first to wake up, "He…he got away."

"Not yet," Fujin replied, "We must make our way to the Sky Temple. Even if the amulet isn't there, the Jinsei is. We can't let them corrupt it again."

Takeda looked around the room, "How? The Red Dragon did quite a number on us." The Red Dragon was a name Takeda was quite familiar with. Not only were they a rival clan, he knew from his father that they were the ones who killed his mother. Yet, he refused to let that control him. Kenshi let the grudge take him over but Takeda would not follow in his footsteps.

Fujin agreed, "You're right, you keep watch over them. I'll go to the Sky Temple alone." Fujin flew off in a hurry, hoping he wouldn't be too late. Yet he was, when he arrived the doors to the Sky Temple were open and when he entered the main hallway was a mess. He quickly went to the Jinsei Chamber to see if anything was wrong, yet…they didn't touch it.

"How strange," Fujin noted, "you think they would have. Unless the amulet is a key to something beyond even the Jinsei…" Yes, with the Sky Temple being empty that means that there was only one place the amulet may be.

Left to clean up the mess still yet uncleaned in the Outworld Coliseum were the lowest of the low in the Outworld armada's hierarchy. These were either newly recruited soldiers or those who were too weak to participate in kombat but were either forced into the job or wanted to contribute to the empire but had very little to offer. With the real meat of the armada busy storming Outworld's mountains in search of the Edenian Kamidogu, these guys were left to clean the arena days after it was the scene of a massive battle. That meant one thing, these bodies were able to rot in the harsh sun and it showed.

One of the guardsmen called out to another, "Hey! I found something on Raiden's corpse!" The rather young and quite frail looking guard came running over. The first, much older guard handed the item over to his partner. It was a golden amulet with a green jewel in the middle. This was no ordinary amulet, but it was of course Shinnok's Amulet. One of them being a new recruit and the other being a forgetful old man means they had no idea the power they held in their possession.

"Well would you look at that," the guard said while holding it, "wonder if it has any significance…" It didn't seem that way to either of them. It could have been a cheap trinket for all they knew.

His partner shrugged, "Uhhhh…it might? Maybe we should take it to the emperor just to be sure." Without thinking, the other guard held it high in the air and suddenly a surge of green energy rumbled throughout him.

"By the Elder Gods," he cried out, "I've never felt so powerful. Maybe I could…take on the Dragon King with this."

The elderly guard laughed him off, "You? Take on Onaga? I've heard what he can do, even with whatever that is in your hands you still have no chance."

The younger guard refused to let it go, the power he had with this amulet was intoxicating! How could he resist it? Instead he chose to stand atop the throne in the middle of the arena. He reached out to his fellow underlings, "Guys! In my hand, I hold the power to destroying the Dragon King! We'll be free of his despotism and _we_ can take over!"

At first the others were hesitant until they saw the glow around him. They were amazed this might be their ticket to the very top. What did they have to lose? They began to cheer this kid on as he would be the one to save Outworld yet again! No longer would Onaga terrorize them, no longer would he push them around, and instead they'd be the ones pushing him around. It all seemed like a perfect plan. At least it _seemed_ that way.

The lowly guard made off to Onaga's chamber, barging down the door. Standing right behind him were his comrades, ready for a fight. Onaga was most displeased, "What is this act of barbarism?! I did not give you permission to enter this ro—" he stopped when he noticed what was in his underling's hand, "The amulet! You came here to give it to me. Isn't that kind of you?"

The rail thin recruit shook his head and held it high in the air, "No! I'm here to end your reign with this! No longer will you step on the little man! We're here, together, to destroy you."

The Dragon King used his favorite intimidation tactic, merely standing up from his throne and spreading out his wings. It always struck fear in the hearts of enemies, "I see. Why don't you come here and tell me just how you're going to do that."

The recruit shoved the amulet in his face, "With this! I-I'm going to destroy you with this! Come on gang, surround him!" Standing the doorway were his comrades, too scared to enter the room.

Onaga was most amused by this showing, "Just as expected with you dogs. You always want the throne for yourselves. I can't tell you how much I hate traitors." Onaga grabbed the arm the amulet was in and tore it right off, "Yes, but you're no traitor. You're just here to sacrifice yourself and show the others what happens to traitors in my empire." After tearing off the recruit's arm, he shoved him into the recently completed surrounding spike pit, "You're a real martyr! Perhaps they will write of you in the future! Sing your praises, and maybe even name a day in your honor." Just to add insult to injury, he burned the now impaled corpse with his fire breath, "Or maybe you'll just be remembered as a fool. A warning to those who dare confront the Dragon King! Either way, you're part of history now."

The other guards trembled, no longer wanting to rebel. Onaga turned to them, "Does anyone else here want to be part of history too?" In unison they all said no. Onaga was pleased, "Oh good. Now get back to cleaning that arena for me." They all took off in a hurry, glad that their fate was much more merciful than the poor young man they briefly followed.

With that over with, the Dragon King picked up Shinnok's Amulet and laughed, "All I need is the Edenian Kamidogu. When I have that…then the other realms will fall into the palm my hand." Things seemed to be growing grim, Onaga was close to his goal.

Yet in Edenia, dread was the last thing on the people's minds. Rather they were excited, as the recently reconstructed Edenian arena was to be the site where Shujinko would prove his worth to the people and to Shao Kahn. He would be forced to fight for his life against Moloch. Shao Kahn took his seat in the throne high above the battleground. Everyone was cheering as this was the first time most had been to an event like this. Jade looked upon the applauding crowds with horror, "This isn't something the Edenia of old would have liked. Pitting an old man against an oni? It isn't right!"

Shao Kahn laughed, "The Edenia of old is long gone! Most of the people here don't even remember what it was like. I do and it's better this way."

Jade pinched the bridge of her nose, "I may have been young back when you took over, but at least I know that things were better back then."

Ermac placed a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring manner, "The people were peaceful, but maybe they were too peaceful. Perhaps if Edenian defenses had gone through things like this, then they wouldn't have lost."

Shao Kahn agreed, "Jerrod was a weak willed man. Don't listen to what you may've heard, he was no benevolent ruler."

Kotal Kahn, who was sitting next to Shao, questioned him, "I never personally met the man, but I hear he was a great leader. What was wrong with him?"

"I'll tell you," Shao Kahn began, "King Jerrod was the type to lie to his people. As soon as things looked bad, he denied that they did. When I invaded his realm, he reassured the public things would be fine. After that, as I utterly destroyed this realm, he only sent what was left of his elite guard. Edenia didn't have much of an army, due to how 'peaceful' things were. Sure their elite were the best of the best, but they could only do so much in a war before they're outnumbered."

Jade couldn't believe what she was hearing, "You're lying!"

Kotal Kahn, while not outright calling Shao a liar was doubtful of his words, "I'm not sure if that's how things were."

Tanya, the one who so desperately wanted to free Edenia, agreed with Shao Kahn, "He's not lying. I was part of the Edenian elite guardsmen and we didn't have much to work with."

Tanya's memory faded back to a meeting she had with King Jerrod. She wore green back then, as all of the royal protectors did. In fact, she was one of the highest ranking members of the guardsmen. She met with him in their throne room. Jerrod waved at her, "Tanya, just who I've been looking for. I realize that things are looking dark for us but you must keep fighting! The people rely on you!"

Tanya nodded, "I realize this, I'll do what I can but don't you think we should be looking for more recruits? Our small armada cannot compete with their sheer numbers."

Jerrod waved his hand in a dismissive manner, "Heavens no! We Edenians are a peaceful people. I can't imagine the commoners fighting. Most of them haven't even thought about a war in a thousand years, if not more. I love them too much to see them become casualties of war."

At this point in time Tanya was quite the loyal soldier yet it was at this exact moment her faith in the king and Edenia as a whole began to waver, "They'll become casualties of war if we don't get them the training they need to keep Outworld out!"

"The answer is no. When I saw what happened to Shao Kahn after he took over as emperor I vowed to let my people live peacefully. I will not become a warmonger like him."

The once loyal Edenian growled in frustration, "Fine. We'll do it ourselves."

The king was most thankful for this, "I have faith in all of you." Tanya would go on to abandon her role and instead chose to give Shao Kahn all of Jerrod's battle plans.

The path that led to Edenia's downfall was paved with good intentions. Jerrod was only trying to protect his people from the terrors of war. He could not truly be blamed for doing anything wrong. The peaceful paradise of Edenia could not last forever. Even if the rest of Edenia trained during Outworld's attack, they were too used to peacetime that it would be a slow and arduous process. Not to mention it really did seem like Edenian guard _were_ strong enough, as you might recall but Shao Kahn himself put an end to that.

Tanya finished telling her story, "Jerrod may've been a good king, but he wasn't as perfect as the stories would lead you to believe. If our forces just had more, we could've pulled a victory I think. Maybe we could have won the tournaments too, preventing the whole thing in the first place."

Rain was about to agree, but Shao interrupted him, "I didn't give you permission to speak, Rain. You're lucky I shortened your sentence in the dungeon." Rain was quickly silenced afterwards.

Jade scratched the back of her head, "At least he meant well, unlike you."

Kotal Kahn was just impressed, "To keep to a vow of peace even in wartimes. Some might call it dumb, but it is quite respectable."

Shao Kahn laughed, "Respectable? It's a sign of a man who can't lead. Jerrod was a fool who couldn't share my vision." Before Shao could continue, Shujinko was lead in through the coliseum's main entrance, still shackled up. The dungeon's warden came out and unleashed Shujinko from his entrapment. Shao Kahn began to announce, "Ladies and gentlemen of Edenia, this is the first fight held at our arena! Today, we see Shujinko fight for his freedom and his life against the brutish oni, Moloch!"

Moloch stomped in through the opposing entrance with trademark ball and chain in his hand.

"The contestants may now **FIGHT!** "

Moloch went charging in on all fours, leaving Shujinko only seconds to counterattack. He leapt up onto the wall and over Moloch. Moloch turned around, being met with Shujinko's foot against his face. Moloch was only slightly hurt by this. Now it was Moloch's turn as he slammed his ball right into Shujinko's chest, several cracking and shattering noises followed. The old man slammed into the ground, yet he did not give up. He got back up to continue fighting. Using all of his strength, he grabbed the ball in Moloch's hand and snatched it away. Moloch was taken aback by this, giving Shujinko enough time to throw the ball around his legs. Moloch turned around which tied the chain around his legs. The oni fell to the ground in the confusion. Shujinko then repeatedly stomped Moloch's head into the dirt beneath them, yet it did him little good as Moloch broke free of the chains and tossed Shujinko into the wall. After that, the brute picked him up and smashed him into the ground as a taste of his own medicine.

It was over. Shujinko didn't get back up after that. "Finish him," Shao Kahn demanded as the crowd cheered and applauded. Moloch grabbed Shujinko and snapped his spine like a twig. Before the somewhat delusional old man died, he looked up to the sky and said, "I…I'm sorry Damashi. I have failed you."

"Moloch wins, fatality!"

Jade looked away in horror, "He did nothing wrong and yet you had him killed like that!"

Kotal Kahn raised a finger, "I'm not so sure of that. He seemed to have delusions of grandeur, not to mention it was apparently he who stole the Kamidogu from their respective realms. Nobody who steals those is entirely innocent."

"A fair point," Jade actually agreed, "yet that seemed a little harsh for my tastes."

Kotal laughed, "Compared to what I saw in my time in Earthrealm that was quite merciful."

"Merciful or not, it's how I do things," Shao Kahn justified, "he seemed deranged. At the very least, he was a threat to those around him."

Erron rubbed his chin, "I actually think I saw him running around Outworld. He actually fetched my guns for me when I lost them in the Livin' Forest so maybe he wasn't that bad."

Sheeva too, "I recognize him too! He was punching Outworld's citizens for no reason and snooping around places he shouldn't have been. Then again he did bring me my bracelets when I misplaced them around the fortress gates."

"Me too," Skarlet added, "I helped him with training. I can't recall _why_ though…"

Ferra even had something to say, "Old beard try fighting me and Torr! Old beard beat us!"

Kotal looked to his , "You all saw this same old man running around punching people, fetching things, and Skarlet even trained him yet none of you bothered to tell me?"

Erron gulped and removed his hat, "It didn't seem important at the time, honestly."

Kotal rubbed the side of his temples, "We'll talk about this later. For now, we need to decide what we're going to do about Onaga."

Shao Kahn answered, "Just leave that to me, I'll kill him."

Kotal sighed, "You can't just go after him alone, it's practically suicide. I nearly put him in the ground and, as much as it pains me to say this, I think we can beat him together."

The king chortled heartily, "You must be joking. I'm almost insulted you think I can't take him by myself. I did it before, I can do it again."

"You killed him through deception last time! I hope you don't think it'll work again because it won't."

Again Shao Kahn brushed off Kotal's warnings, "I've grown stronger since then. There's no way he could stop me now."

Ermac pleaded with his master, "We are sure you could take him on your own, but we can't have you strain what little companionship you two have. Work with Kotal. As your second-in-command we think it's a good idea."

If Ermac thought it was a wise idea, Shao Kahn had to at least consider it. Ermac has shown time and time again he was loyal to him. After that, he did end up relenting, "Very well, Kotal Kahn and I will face the Dragon King together."

Kotal grimaced at the very thought of it, "Believe me, I hate the very idea of it as much as you do. Yet if it's what my people need, then I will do anything for them."

To save face Shao Kahn ad-libbed something similar, "Errr yes, and I will do anything for my people as well."

Ermac smiled at the two of them, "Who knows, perhaps by the end of this you two will respect each other? We think it's possible."

Kotal Kahn gave a disgusted sigh in response, "Ermac I appreciate your input but I find that hard to believe."

"I must say the same to you," Shao Kahn retorted with even more disgust. The two former Outworld emperors continued bickering like school children for hours, even after the others left.

We return to Outworld, as Sub-Zero and Kitana's search for what might be left of the Cryomancer people. It seemed like a fruitless search until they found a temple made of ice on the mountain's peak. Kuai entered cautiously, entering a grand main hall. He climbed the stairs up into a chamber where he actually saw someone meditating. He cautiously approached along with Kitana. The man turned around, revealing his long white unkempt beard and pale blue skin.

Sub-Zero's eyes widened, "Are you…?"

"I am indeed a Cryomancer," the old monk stated bluntly, "I can sense that you too are one of us. I have waited here so long."

Kitana gasped, "But I thought the Cryomancers went extinct!"

"Most of them died out, yes. But I remain. I am the last pure blooded one I fear. It has been over 5,000 years since the others have died out, but I remained here hoping that another would come."

Kuai kneeled before the old man, "You don't have to wait any longer. Teach me everything you can. I want to know."

"You seem quite skilled as is," the old man replied, "but if you want to know more I have the advanced techniques of the Cryomancer here in this scroll." An ancient scroll rolled out of the monk's sleeves, "Everything you want to know is in here." Sub-Zero grabbed the scroll and pocketed it, "Thank you. Your kindness means so much to me."

But the elderly Cryomancer was not done yet, "Hold on. There is one more thing I want to give you." The old man's arm slowly rose up to a ceremonial case, "Inside there is a set of armor. It will enhance your powers. There should be a set for a woman too it'll be perfect for your friend over there."

Sub-Zero got up and opened the case, revealing the armor. He placed on the Viking-like helmet and facemask first and followed up with the rest of it. Kitana grabbed a set of clothes that was in there, the shade of blue perfectly matched her old clothes. She thanked the old man, "I'm not a Cryomancer I have no right to wear this. I must thank you for allowing me the privilege."

Sub-Zero bowed graciously, "Yes. I'm glad to carry on our people's name."

They were not alone, however as slow clapping echoed throughout the chamber. Noob Saibot walked in, "An impressive set of armor, brother. It almost makes you look strong." Both Kitana and Liang raised their weapons when they saw him.

The aged Cryomancer fell on his back and backed away at Noob's presence, "You…I sense a great evil in you! What are you?!"

Noob sank into the ground and arose behind the old man, "I'm your extinction." He tore his hand right through the Cryomancer's back, pulling out his spinal cord, "A new spin on an old trick."

Sub-Zero pulled out the Edenian Kamidogu, "I know you're still in there, brother. I can fix you."

"I don't need to be fixed," Noob vehemently denied, "But you do have something I need. That Kamidogu will look nice with the others."

"We'd sooner die than give you the Kamidogu," Kitana said in spite.

Noob grinned deviously, "I can make that happen. Maybe you'll see your husband, it'll be nice."

Kuai held the Edenian Kamidogu high, "If you want it, I'll give it to you!" He charged at his sibling, ready to stab the dagger in his torso. It didn't work as Noob vanished and reappeared behind them both.

"I really don't feel like fighting you two. Luckily I have someone to do that for me." Noob snapped his fingers, opening a fiery portal. The ever vengeful corrupted Scorpion stepped out from the portal, chained to shackles keeping him in control.

Sub-Zero recognized his former comrade, "Hanzo!?" Kitana gasped, "That's Scorpion?"

Noob folded his hands, "Do you like what I've done with him? He's so much better this way." Scorpion only growled at the three of them. Noob vanished afterwards, unleashing his rage filled minion on them.

Scorpion thoughtlessly charged at Sub-Zero at breakneck speeds, sending the poor half-Cryomancer through the ice wall. He fell into the snow outside. Kitana attacked Scorpion from behind, stabbing he fan blade into his sides. Scorpion was undeterred by this. He grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her out the hole in the wall.

Sub-Zero got back up. He shot an ice ball at the wrathful wraith, but it melted before it hit him. Soon the entire sanctuary started melting around Scorpion's eternal flames. Scorpion jumped out and landed on Kitana's chest, cracking her ribs. Thinking on his toes, Sub-Zero came at him with the Edenian Kamidogu but was countered by Scorpion grabbing him by the wrist and twisting it. In deep pain, Sub-Zero dropped the Kamidogu. Scorpion shoved him back into the snow covered earth and stomped his head in further. Kitana, while still injured, used what was left of her power and ran the Kamidogu right into Scorpion's thigh. Scorpion screamed in a mix of agony and fury. His attention turned to the Edenian, picking her up by the neck and squeezing. Again she drove the Kamidogu into his stomach, causing him to drop both her and the mystic artifact. It wasn't enough to entirely do him in yet his flame finally died down, allowing Sub-Zero to freeze him.

Noob reappeared and snatched the Edenian Kamidogu up, "Yes! It's mine! It's all _mine!_ " His victory was interrupted as he was tackled to the ground by an Outworld soldier, letting the Kamidogu slip from his grasp. Another soldier picked it up, "It belongs to Onaga, Emperor of Outworld now."

Noob threw the soldier off and tried to snatch it up but was met with a spear to the abdomen. He fell to the ground afterwards. Sub-Zero and Kitana tried to attack them yet it was hopeless, if not valiant, effort. When all the soldiers cleared off or were defeated, the one who had the Kamidogu found a way to vanish without a trace. Noob too found a way to weasel his way out of there, as his body was gone.

Kitana held her head in fear and frustration, "We let him get away! Soon the Dragon King will have all of the Kamidogu and it's our fault!"

Sub-Zero held her hand in a comforting manner, "No it's not, there's no way we could have fought them all off! It's not our fault and if it is there's still a way we can fix it!"

"How…?"

Sub-Zero picked up Scorpion's body and started making his way back downwards, "We must hurry back to the others and warn them! There's no time to waste!"

Kitana followed, yet it seemed things were at their darkest. Onaga would finally have all he needed to attain ultimate power. With all six Kamidogu in hand along with Shinnok's Amulet he may prove unstoppable. The Elder Gods' reckoning may finally be at hand if Sub-Zero and Kitana are too late.

* * *

 _I must say, I'm really glad people think Shao Kahn is still a horrible monster. I thought I was making him almost too nice at times. Glad that's not the case. He might be the protagonist but he sure isn't a hero by any definition. And don't worry about Reptile, though. Won't say too much but he won't be out of the story for too long. But about this chapter, it was a fun one to write. I love delving into the history of these realms and this time I wanted to go back into Edenia's. The downfall of the once great realm is very interesting to me. I wanted to show that as idyllic as it was, Edenia had a reason for having fallen to Outworld. One thing I considered was whether I should kill off Shujinko and at the end of the day I decided I should. This story already has plenty of other characters to focus on and there will be many more so I just felt he wasn't necessary. It's nothing personal against him, I happen to love Deception's Konquest mode to be honest. I love the 3D era games in general, if that wasn't clear. Well that's about it for now, I'll see you in the next chapter!_


	14. The Kamidogu's True Power

It did not take long for the soldiers to return to their emperor. The doors to his throne room barged open, as the victorious warrior held the Edenian Kamidogu high in the air, "We got it, Lord Onaga! The last Kamidogu is yours!"

Onaga hurried off from his throne and to the guard. He yanked it right from the soldier's hand with glee, "A most excellent job! You'll get a high rank in in my new order rest assured." Triborg rushed over to his leader's side, "You've got the last Kamidogu?"

"Yes I do," Onaga answered with pride filling up within him, "with all six of them in hand, I can finally take what rightfully belongs to me!" He opened a chest next to his seat with all of the Kamidogu along with the amulet. He held them all at once as a golden surge shot out from the six daggers and into the amulet. He grabbed the amulet and placed it on his belt. He put the six Kamidogu on his belt as well, to make sure they wouldn't fall into someone else's hands.

The golden energy surged throughout him, "With this power in my hands everyone will tremble beneath the might of Onaga, the Dragon King!" The soldiers along with Triborg bowed beneath their master. A sharp grin ran across Onaga's scaly face, "I am Onaga! Lord of all the realms!" He raised his hands in the air, causing a massive quake that not only affected Outworld but all other realms. One of the soldiers asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

Onaga laughed, "Send our forces to Earthrealm and Edenia. They're out greatest threats. Be sure to bring Shao Kahn to me alive, though. I want to see him personally…"

Back at the Special Forces' hideout in Nevada desert, a massive quake could be felt. Fujin gasped, "No…!"

"What're you so worried about," Jax asked, "just an earthquake."

Fujin turned back to Jax with dread filled eyes, "No. That was no ordinary earthquake. It's a sign of the end times!" Alarms started going off and the Special Forces' squaddies were running out of the base.

Sonya stopped one of them, "What's going on out there, soldier?"

"It's the same thing as what happened twenty-some years ago, Ms. Blade! Demons, monsters, and others are flocking out of portals! We can't stop them!"

The first thing Sonya and Johnny thought of was Cassie. What would happen to her if she got went out there to fend them off?! They were quite proud of their daughter yet they knew that even this might be too much for her. With the same concern both Takeda and Jax wondered what of Jacqui? Not to mention Kung Jin too!

They were all about to rush out until Jax stopped Takeda, "Hold on, kid! You can't just go out there, you gotta stay here!"

"But I need to be with my clan," the Shirai Ryu student pleaded, "and I need to know where Jacqui is!"

"Look, if you get hurt out there she'll be devastated," Jax said, "I ain't going to let that happen."

Takeda continued to beg, "And if she gets hurt out there, we'll both be devastated! Mr. Briggs please, I need to go find her."

Jax considered his offer and agreed, "Dammit, can't believe I'm lettin' you do this but go find her! If you can try to get Cassie and Kung Jin too, do it!"

The blast doors opened wide allowing the Earthrealm forces and the Special Forces go out and fight the marauding Outworld warriors. Fujin paused, "I must go find Shao Kahn and Kotal Kahn! They can help us!"

Johnny asked, "Need any of us to go along?"

"No," Fujin denied, "you need to stay here and defend your realm from the incoming Outworld armada! I can go speak with them alone." After that, Fujin departed to Edenia to find both former Outworld emperors.

Defending the home front wasn't easy however. As the Special Forces went down like flies, the Outworld offense was only growing more numerous.

"Just like old times, huh," Johnny asked his ex-wife, "almost makes you think."

Sonya groaned, "If you're trying to hit on me it won't work." Johnny was about to reply however he was grabbed by a savage Tarkatan warrior. Sonya quickly came to his defense and kicked the warrior's teeth in. Johnny thanked her in his own way, "Good job, babe."

"Don't call me that."

Jax on the other hand was doing quite good alone. In a way he was like a one man army, taking down Tarkata and Outworlder's alike. He only ran into trouble when a group of Tekunin showed up and surrounded him. He was ready to kick them in like tin cans until his arms started malfunctioning. One of them even acted out and hit him square in the jaw. "They're hacking my arms," he noted, trying to fight it. Yet it was an ineffectual effort. The Tekunin cyborgs cackled arrogantly until they found their legs frozen to the ground. After that, their legs were shattered into pieces by a familiar fan. Sub-Zero and Kitana made their way back to Earthrealm after all.

"You two sure know how to make an entrance," Jax said with a low whistle beforehand.

Sub-Zero nodded, "One of my best, I feel. I take it you all already know Onaga has everything he needs to take over our realm."

Jax faked a gasp, "No foolin'? I couldn't tell with all these Outworld soldiers flocking in!"

Johnny looked over to Kuai, "Hey nice new armor! I'm really diggin' it!" His attention turned to Kitana, "And I gotta say, that outfit looks stylin' on you."

Kitana pinched the bridge of her nose, "Do you ever shut up, Cage?"

"Not usually, no."

Frost ran up to Sub-Zero and greeted him with a hug of all things, "Master! Where were you?"

"I was finding out what I could about our people, Frost," he answered with a warm smile, "I'm happy to see you too."

She shoved him away afterwards, "Tch, who asked you? Come on let's show these guys what the Lin Kuei clan means!" She charged into battle but her master did not follow, "Not yet. Where's Takeda?"

"He's trying to find the other kids in all this chaos," Johnny replied, "why?"

Kuai motioned to the passed out body of the corrupted Scorpion, "I need to tell him that his grand master has been corrupted by Noob." He picked up the body again and took off to find the student.

Takeda was searching for the others near the city. Just near the entrance he saw Cassie, Jacqui, and Kung Jin trying their best against a centaur combatant. They all took turns in trying to fend the horrid beast off yet it refused.

Cassie went in with a kick yet the centaur grabbed her by the ankle with his tail. Kung Jin shot arrows at him, yet the centaur barely responded. Jacqui came in last with a punch to the monster's jaw, which took him aback yet still did little. That's what Cassie got the idea to slice the tail off with a knife, freeing her and causing the centaur much pain.

"Found its weak spot," she gloated while mockingly holding the tail in her hand. The centaur growled and charged at her. She leapt up above and kicked him in the rear. Takeda soon joined in with them by grabbing the centaur by the horns from behind. The centaur pulled back, allowing Kung Jin to get in arrow right in the creature's eye. After that, Jacqui came in with an elbow to the stomach. The centaur collapsed afterwards.

Jacqui waved at Takeda, "I was wondering where the hell you were!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "yet Hanzo hasn't been with us for weeks. I had to wait until we found him."

Kung Jin stood between them, "You two can save your lovers' quarrel for later. This is no time, I mean unless you want to become like Cassie's parents that is." Both of them snickered at that.

Cassie was about to object to that statement until, "Hey—oh who am I kidding you're right. They fight all the time."

Jacqui calmed down, "Alright but can you at least explain what's going on here? We were hanging out in the city together when this portal came open."

"I'll take you back to the others, they'll explain everything," Takeda said.

He motioned for them to follow him until he himself was stopped by Sub-Zero, "Hold on, I have something to tell you, Takeda. Hanzo is…"

Takeda interrupted, "Dead?"

Sub-Zero shook his head, "Luckily no, but he's been out for a while. Worse still is that Noob Saibot corrupted him. While he used the Edenian Kamidogu on him, we're unsure if even that is strong enough to undo what he has done."

"I know my master has a lot of demons," Takeda replied, "but he can power through whatever Noob did to him."

"You know who Noob is…?"

Takeda confirmed his knowledge, "Hanzo told me, yes. I'm sorry about what happened to your brother, Sub-Zero."

Kuai turned away in denial, "Don't be. He's not my brother. Come on, I'll take you all back to the others."

The five of them ran off to the other Earthrealm heroes. Johnny and Sonya hugged Cassie. Cassie hugged them back, "I'm so happy to see you guys."

Jacqui ran up to Jax and tackle hugged him, "Dad!" Jax hugged her back with the biggest grin on his face, "You alright, pumpkin?" She held him close, "I am."

Kung Jin interrupted the reunion, "Can someone please explain why Outworld forces are invading? I thought we made amends with Kotal."

Cassie agreed, "Yeah, what's going on?"

The adults collectively scratched their heads. Johnny was the first to try and explain things, "Well…guess we left you kids outta loop, huh? Y'see uhhhhh…"

"Kotal isn't the ruler of Outworld anymore," Sonya continued, "someone called Onaga is and he's a lot crueler than Kotal ever was."

"Not to mention we're now working with both Kotal and Shao Kahn to stop him," Jax added.

While the three kids had never met Shao Kahn, his name was enough to fill them with dread. Yet for Kung Jin this was a mix of both dread and anger. He spoke out against this alliance, "Shao Kahn was the one who killed my uncle! We can't work with him!"

Kitana agreed, "I keep trying to tell them that, but they never believe me."

Sub-Zero placed his hand on Kung Jin's shoulder in a comforting manner, "It's hard to work with those who have killed family, I know."

"It's just that…I never knew him that well," Jin said with a hint of sadness.

"It can hurt worse if you did know them well," Kuai replied while he was thinking of Bi-Han, "you already know what Hanzo did to my brother, don't you?"

Kung Jin sorrowfully responded, "I know. And you saved his life. Yet at least Hanzo had a good reason for doing what he did, even if it was a misunderstanding. Shao Kahn had no real reason to take my uncle's life."

"Yet we have a good reason for working with him," Kuai retorted, "but we can still save your uncle yet. Look what we did for Kitana."

Kung Jin nodded, "If it means getting my uncle back, I'll do anything."

Sub-Zero encouragingly patted him on the back, "I'm proud of you. Now, let's show the Outworlders that if they want a fight, they'll get a fight!" With a cheer, all of the Earthrealmers went back into battle feeling stronger than ever.

As the struggled on in Earthrealm, it too continued in Edenia. Fujin arrived to the warring realm holding up surprisingly well. Shao Kahn had plenty of negative qualities no doubt, but his skills as a field commander were nearly unmatched by anyone. Throw in the combined might of both Shao Kahn and Kotal Kahn's elite and you had a formidable enemy that not even Outworld's best could wholly outmatch.

Shao Kahn led his men into battle with fierce savagery. Behind him were not only his best troopers, but Ermac, Rain, Tanya, and Jade were too. Standing in the sidelines of the battlefield was Kotal Kahn, who was barking orders at others in the Edenian army. While it could be argued Shao was better at conducting a war, Kotal was no slouch in that department either. In spite of all their differences, they really were a team that could tear nearly any other army apart.

With each strike of his hammer, Shao Kahn's bloodlust only grew. You could tell just by looking at him he was enjoying every moment of this battle. While Kahn and his men were on the frontlines, Kotal's lieutenants stood guard at the palace just in case any Outworlder was fortunate enough to actually make it past Shao and his lieutenants. This battle was the exact opposite of Earthrealm's. While they fought without much planning, Kotal and Shao's battle was one of strategy and was very planned out.

Fujin was most impressed by their teamwork. He called for both of them to meet with him. Shao pulled himself away from the war and Kotal approached quite calmly. Edenia's king greeted Fujin, "There you are, wind god. I've been waiting for you."

Fujin quickly got down to business, "It's time, Shao. It's now or never. The Dragon King _must_ die before the day is through."

"He will," Kotal said with confidence, "Shao Kahn and I will come with you. The three of us might be strong enough to put an end to him."

"I alone am strong enough to stop him," Kahn boasted arrogantly, "but I'm letting you both tag along since you want to feel like you're helping too."

Kotal scowled at the narcissistic king, "You're almost making me reconsider this."

"Save the fighting for Onaga, gentlemen," Fujin said. He offered out his hands to them both, "Grab on, I'll take us all to Outworld." Both held on before Fujin swept them up in a twister and whisked them off into the rift where the Outworld soldiers were pouring in from.

When they arrived, Onaga's fortress was seemingly empty. Fujin pointed this out, "Hmmm, no guards? This seems…suspicious."

Kotal agreed, "He's obviously luring us into a trap."

"Knowing Onaga he's leading us to him," Shao Kahn warned, "that was always a strategy he liked using. It lured many opponents into false senses of security until they came to him face-to-face. By then it was too late."

They made their way inside the fortress and it was still entirely empty. They kept their guards up all the way to the doorway that led into Onaga's throne room. When they approached, they were met with a familiar face standing in front of the entrance. That face was Noob Saibot.

"Out of the way wraith," Fujin demanded, "your master falls tonight!"

Noob denied his alliance with Onaga, "He's not my leader anymore. He betrayed me before I could turn my back on him. I came here to align with you actually. The enemy of my enemy if my friend as they say."

The three of them were hesitant. The Brotherhood of Shadow had proven to be nothing but backstabbing weasels. Shao Kahn raised his hammer, "We could just kill him right here, right now. It'd probably benefit us in the end."

Fujin stopped him, "What a barbaric way of thinking. If Onaga wins, that's the end for Noob too. If he's desperate enough to ask, then we're desperate enough to let him in."

Kotal shrugged, "I don't care for a debate like this, yet more numbers could prove to be useful. I say we let him in."

Noob opened the doors, "You won't regret this I know it."

When the doors opened they were greeted with Onaga sitting in his throne with a calm expression, "Ahhh I see you've made it. Oh how I've been waiting for this." He then pointed to Shao Kahn specifically, " _Especially_ you, my dear former advisor. Would you care for some imported Earthrealm wine? I had it made the way you served it to me."

"Enough with the pleasantries," Shao Kahn replied, "I'm here to finish what I started so long ago."

Onaga growled at him, "You mean taking the coward's way out? I never did expect you to do something so underhanded like that, Shao. You were my most prized warrior! If you wanted to kill me, at least you could have had some dignity and fought me hand-to-hand like a real man!"

Shao shoved away his allies and took a step towards Onaga, "That's what I'm doing now, aren't I?"

"But you aren't doing it alone," the Dragon King remarked, hoping to get a response.

To his delight, Shao was furious when he said that, "I could take you alone! Come on, you and me right now!"

Kotal tapped his shoulder, "You idiot, what about the plan?"

Shao merely scoffed at him, "Forget the plan, nobody makes a mockery of Shao Kahn!"

The Dragon King snapped his fingers and Triborg appeared before the three others, "Triborg! Distract the others I want Shao Kahn all to myself." Triborg saluted and thrust the three out the door, leaving both the former and current ruler of Outworld alone.

Shao Kahn went hammer first into the battle, striking Onaga right in the head. Onaga brushed the attack off and grabbed Shao Kahn's beloved mallet by the shaft, "Always relying on your toys, Shao. This time is going to be different." He pulled the hammer away and snapped it in two like it was nothing, "If that's what I did to your hammer, think of what I'm going to do to _you._ "

Shao Kahn, for the first time in his life, backed away in fear. Fear was an emotion he hadn't felt in eons. Not when invading Edenia, not when face to face with Liu Kang, and not even when Raiden's powers were enhanced by the Elder Gods. The last time he was frightened was back when he was Onaga's advisor so many years ago. The night before he had him poisoned…

He flashbacked to that very moment, the last time he ever felt a tinge of distress. The younger Shao and Onaga were discussing what to do with Zaterra.

"I personally think we shouldn't go for it," the Kahn of the past recommended, "I feel that our resources aren't there. You know what the soldiers have been doing to you."

The Dragon King cared little for his input, "Oh please, I have an immortal army. There's no way they could stop us in our invasion should I choose to do it."

Again Shao warned him of the consequences, "Your majesty, _please_ reconsider. The Zaterrans aren't our greatest concern, that would be—"

"Oh here we go again," Onaga replied, "As you have told me countless times our greatest concern is the people of this realm. You say I'm too harsh on them, I'm too overbearing, that I'm too 'controlling.' But I don't care, that's the only way I can keep them in line! They're just a means to an end anyhow. All I care about in this forsaken realm are its armies and resources."

"A means to an end?"

Onaga started explaining, "It is stated that there are six magical artifacts that could grant the user infinite power. They're called the Kamidogu, and I've been searching for them for millions of years! So far I know of the ones here in Outworld, Chaos Realm, Seido, and the Netherrealm…yet I'm not sure where the other two are yet. I'm suspecting one is in Zaterra, which is why I must have it merged with ours! I'm only using this realm for its armies and resources, not because I care about the people. They're a chaotic, ravenous bunch that I despise. I can't keep them in line, not until I have those Kamidogu!"

"And what do you intend to do with these Kamidogu," the early Kahn inquired curiously.

The past Dragon king answered with ire, "I want to find who's rallying my own army to fight against me, the one who has caused me so much trouble. He or she will be the first to die in the most excruciating way I can imagine. After that, I will unite the realms under my new vision! One of order! They will see the error of their lifestyle! Only I can save them from the chaos they choose to live in, whether it'll be by choice or by force!"

The ancient Shao nearly fainted when he heard that. He had been planning this coup for quite a while and had been waiting until the right time would come for him to strike. He knew that he had to enact the plan soon or else he would suffer greatly.

Shao had an offer for his master, "We can continue discussing the Zaterrans and what to do with Outworld people in general tomorrow night, my liege. I've got more things to do."

"Yes yes of course," Onaga agreed, "I'll see you tomorrow Shao."

You already know what happened the next day. Shao Kahn gave Onaga poisoned wine and took Outworld as his own. Then he had the Dragon King and his army locked away in a tomb never to be seen again.

Kahn's mind returned to the present, where he was feeling the very same panic he felt on that night oh so many years ago. Onaga picked him up by his throat and squeezed, "I'm going to do what I said I would, Shao! I'm going to kill you in the most excruciating way I can imagine. If only you had remained loyal, you could have been by my side instead of being killed by me."

Mustering all of his strength, Shao grabbed Onaga's wrist with both of his hands and pulled. He managed to tear some of Onaga's scaly skin right off the bone, causing the massive monstrosity to let go. Shao Kahn fell to the ground afterwards, feeling lightheaded. The Dragon King recovered from Kahn's attack quickly. He had a chance to get Shao where he stood and he took it. He smacked his once advisor with his tail, sending him flying back to the floor. Onaga stomped down on his chest as his gloating continued, "Prepare to die, you weak pathetic fool!"

Just outside the throne room, Fujin, Kotal, and Noob had their hands full with Triborg's assault. Triborg launched his wrist rockets at the three of them. Noob opened up a portal that caught every missile. A portal opened behind Triborg that sent them back at him. Triborg teleported just before the missiles exploded.

He reappeared with an uppercut, sending Fujin to the ground! Kotal grabbed the cyborg by the shoulders yet Triborg retaliated by spraying ice particles in his eyes. Kotal backed into the wall, leaving him open for Triborg to freeze him to the wall. Fujin got back up and shot a tornado at the horrible machine. Triborg responded by shooting a net out at Fujin, catching him in it. After that, he dove out of the tornado's path before it died down. Kotal broke out of the ice and smashed the wall behind him, allowing the sunlight into the dark corridor. Using the power of the sun, Kotal picked up a massive chunk of the wall and threw it right at Triborg. Triborg was crushed by the wall but not for long, as he broke through the chunk of wall and shot oil at Kotal's feet. Kotal slipped onto the ground with a thud. Triborg's ego got the better of himself and he took this time to gloat by laughing. This left him open for Noob's sucker punch. Triborg took the hit with little issue yet the same could not be said for Noob, who took Triborg's ice bomb quite poorly. Noob was frozen stiff, taking him out of the fight.

Kotal tripped Triborg up while he was still on the floor. Triborg currently being grounded gave Kotal the leeway he needed to pick himself up again. Fujin turned to Kotal and gestured for him to come over. The former emperor obliged and stood by the wind god's side. Fujin raised his hands up high above Kotal, forming a fast forming cyclone around him. The cyclone lifted Kotal in the air. As Triborg flew back up, Fujin launched Kotal like a top! The rapid spinning Kotal collided right into Triborg. The high impact sent the Tekunin leader soaring right through the brick wall.

"Good move back there," Kotal complimented.

Fujin dismissively waved his hand, "It wouldn't have worked without you there!"

With Triborg taken care of, the two heroes stormed into Onaga's chamber and saw a near dead Shao Kahn on the floor. Kotal sighed, "I told him to stick with the plan!"

Onaga was ready to finish him but the two interrupted him, "Foolish interlopers, you're too late! The power of the Kamidogu is in my hands and _nobody_ will be able to stop me!"

Kotal demanded that Onaga stand down, "Though you might sit in the throne, you are no emperor! I'll fight you if you want, but I promise you it'll end with me in that throne!"

Onaga laughed Kotal's threats off, "I don't have to listen to you I don't have to listen to any of you! I am Onaga, the bringer of order! You will bow to me!"

"I'm not afraid of you," Kotal stated while unmoving, "you can do your worst, but I won't stand down! This is my realm, these are my people! I won't let you harass them anymore!"

The Dragon King snarled in disgust, "You remind me of my old advisor. Always caring about the people, but what are they to a god like me?"

"Enough," Fujin cried out, "This all ends here, Onaga!"

The two of them charged at Onaga together with all of their strength. Their fists struck Onaga in the chest. The Kamidogu influenced Dragon King did not even budge, "Was that supposed to hurt?" With the flick of his fingers, he sent them hurling into the wall. They would've fallen into the spike pits were it not for Fujin using the wind to redirect the both of them into the ground.

It seemed Onaga had won. All three of the heroes had failed in destroying him and the other realms would not be able to last forever against Onaga's hordes. Onaga's arrogance shone through as he chose not to kill them but to brag, "Look at you all! Fighting for Elder Gods who would not lift a finger to save you, fighting for people who would rather run than fight for you, and fighting for realms that won't last in the long run! Under my regime, people will be happy! Mark my words, the Dragon King will be a name that is remembered for bringing prosperity to all realms! Think of this not as the end of the world, but think of it as a revolution! A revolution that will bring all the realms together in unity! Unfortunately, the three of you have no place in my vision of a better future."

Onaga's speech was interrupted by a surprising adversary! Noob Saibot escaped his frozen prison and put Onaga in a chokehold.

Onaga sneered at the very sight of the wraith, "You disgusting traitor!"

"You betrayed me first," Noob reminded him as he squeezed harder, "And when I'm done with you, the Kamidogu will be—"

Onaga yanked Noob off his back and sent him hurdling through the ceiling, "They won't be yours, you cretin! They belong to me!"

Noob's attack gave Kotal time to get back up with more determination than ever, "Come on, Onaga! Let's finish this!" Fujin too stood up along with Shao Kahn.

Onaga stomped his foot in frustration, "Why won't you all just stay down?!" He took to the air, shattering the ceiling behind him, "Now you'll witness the true power of the Kamidogu!" He took the mystic daggers from his belt and stabbed all six of them into his back in a last ditch effort. After that he clutched Shinnok's amulet and embedded it right into his chest.

"What's he doing," Shao Kahn wondered out loud.

Fujin had an answer, "You see, by lodging all of the Kamidogu along with the amulet into himself he'll directly siphon their power. It's a bizarre yet _very_ effective strategy."

After that, the sky around Onaga started swirling into a red and black mass. He slowly began turning from a bipedal dragon into a much larger traditional serpent-like dragon, just like the Elder Gods themselves. When the transformation was complete he was as tall as his own fortress, as they saw his head peaking in through now destroyed roof of the throne room. He roared at the three of them, causing the entire fortress along with the ground to rumble.

Fujin trembled at the sight of the gargantuan Dragon King, "What have the Kamidogu wrought?!"

 _To be continued in the next chapter of: The Return of Shao Kahn…_


	15. A Last Ditch Effort

The monstrously massive Onaga's laughter pierced their ears from how loud it was, "I have taken the form of the Elder Gods! How can you hope to destroy what is as strong as they?!"

The three warriors were flabbergasted. It seems there _was_ nothing that they could do against the now all powerful Dragon King. Could this be the end of everything they had known? Was the Elder Gods' reign as the supreme beings throughout all the realms over?

It seemed so…that was until Shao Kahn noticed something. He squinted at his former master and noticed the Kamidogu were sticking out from his body. He pointed up to them, "Perhaps if we pull those out, then it might weaken him!"

Kotal nodded, "It's our only chance! But how do we reach them?" It seemed like a near impossible task. Each Kamidogu were spread out across the Dragon King's serpentine body. One was directly in his tail, the second was lodged in his left leg, the third was between one of his many back fins, the fourth was in the palm of his right hand, the fifth in his neck, and the last was on his forehead. To be able to reach them all would take time and a good plan at that.

Both were things they didn't have. The rifts between the realms were growing wider by the minute, absorbing both Earthrealm and Edenia into Outworld slowly. Before they could even think, Onaga slammed his massive tail down onto the fortress, destroying it in the process.

All three would have surely died were it not for Fujin creating a protective wind bubble around them. They landed safely onto the ground below. Shao Kahn looked to the tail, "I think I've got an idea. Fujin, Kotal, I need you to grab his attention!"

Kotal turned to Shao with a perplexed expression, "What are you up to?"

"Just do it!"

The two obliged, calling up to the behemoth. They mocked him, taunted him, and even threw debris from the fortress at him. Onaga turned to them, "Are you still alive? Allow me to correct this mistake!" He slammed his tail down on the ground, the other two just barely avoiding the attack.

Shao Kahn climbed up onto the tail while it was still grounded. He took hold of Onaga's scales for dear life as Onaga took flight. The Dragon King looked back and growled. He shook his tail repeatedly as if to take shake Shao off, yet Shao did not let go. He continued climbing up the winding tail until he found the Earthrealm Kamidogu. He reached for it, but found it was just a centimeter too far for him to grab. Again he reached, yet the turbulence that Onaga's flight caused made him lose his grip and he slipped off. He stomped hi foot in frustration, "Arrrrgh I was so close!"

"It was a good effort," Kotal comforted, "he seems too strong for us to stop, though."

Soon after, the three were greeted by the Earthrealm heroes. Fujin gasped, "How did you all get here?"

"We were sucked in by that rift," Sonya answered, "I don't know how much longer the rest of the world can hold out before it's fully merged."

Johnny pointed up to Onaga who was coming in right for them, "Uhhh guys, what's that giant Japanese dragon?"

Kotal motioned for them to hit the dirt. Every one of them went down to the ground, just narrowly avoiding being eaten alive by the godly beast. "That's Onaga," Fujin explained, "he absorbed the power of the Kamidogu and is now using that power to merge the realms!"

Kung Jin glanced at Shao Kahn, "So you're my uncle's killer."

"You're going to have to specify," Shao Kahn said with a hint of sadistic smugness, "I've killed plenty of uncles."

The normally calm young man lost his cool when he said that. He tackled the king with adrenaline pumping throughout him, "I'm going to avenge what you did to him!"

Takeda pulled him off, "Jin, calm down! You can't let him get the better of you!"

Shao Kahn brushed himself off, "I recognize that arrogance. Only someone related to that Kung Lao would be stupid enough to do that."

"Don't talk about my uncle like that," Kung Jin hissed, "he was a great man!"

Shao Kahn cackled when he heard that, "Then how come I twisted his neck?"

Jacqui stood up to the arrogant villain, "Don't talk to my friends like that, you monster!"

"Why don't you just back off," Cassie added, "you might talk a big game, but if we could take Shinnok I bet we could take you."

Sonya grabbed Cassie away, "Just what do you think you're doing, young lady?"

"I'm defending my friends," she retorted, "I don't think we have to take this from Skeletor over there!"

Shao Kahn laughed all their threats off, "You children need to learn your place! If you were my children—"

"If they were your children they'd despise you for life, I'd know," Kitana interrupted. Shao Kahn was stunned to see his adopted daughter alive.

His surprise gave way to crocodile tears, "Oh Kitana, you didn't always hate your father."

"You are _not_ my father," she denied vicariously, "Jarrod was my father."

"I raised you for 10,000 years," Shao Kahn reminded her, "were it not for me, you wouldn't be who you are today!"

The arguing only got worse when the Edenian fighters arrived. Ermac went to his master and kneeled, "What is going on here, master?!"

Shao answered with a sigh, "The Earthrealmers are letting their petty feuds get in the way of saving the day! It's disgusting!"

Erron shook his head, "Ain't that a shame. There's a reason I left that place."

Sheeva smacked him, "You idiot, you're only fanning the flames!"

"Gettin' real sick a' you bossin' me 'round," the cowboy told her.

Kotal facepalmed at his two minions, "You two had better calm down before this gets any worse."

"Oh like you could ever tell them do to anything like that," Shao Kahn sarcastically commented.

The two Kahns continued bickering amongst themselves as the in-fighting only continued to grow further. Jax took one look at Ermac and instantly recognized him, "Hey, you're that guy who tore my arms off!"

"We were only following orders," Ermac replied, "maybe you shouldn't have been snooping around where you shouldn't have!"

Jax raised his fist and sucker punched the construct right in the face, "Follow _that!_ "

Erron raised his pistols at the Special Forces member, "Hey, nobody treats a partner 'a mine like that!"

Sonya put him in a chokehold, "Nobody points a gun at _my_ partner!"

Ermac lifted Sonya and Jax in the air, "Maybe you'd like to lose those arms too?"

Jade placed an arm around him, "Ermac _please_ put them down. They're our allies, remember?"

Kitana recognized that voice, "Jade?!"

The emerald clad Edenian looked to Kitana, "Kitana?!" The two embraced each other in a warm hug.

"What happened to you," Kitana asked with tears forming in her eyes.

Jade answered, "Quan-Chi brainwashed me and left me to wander the Netherrealm. He did it because he knew that you'd be easier to control and corrupt without me."

Ermac was touched by this reunion and put both Special Forces members down. He even took the time to apologize, "Look, we're…sorry about the arms thing. We were much more aggressive back then."

Jax scratched the back of his neck, "Ahh geez now I feel bad 'bout punchin' you in the face. Don't worry about it."

Things were still not entirely at peace. In the heat of the moment, Kotal ended up smacking Shao right in the face. Shao rubbed his cheek, "That was a big mistake."

Kotal backed away with his hands in the air, "It was an accident! Look, I'm sorry!"

Shao Kahn revved up his fist and rammed it right into Kotal's stomach, "Don't apologize, your death will more than make up for it!"

Out of nowhere, an unanticipated opponent popped out of nowhere and confronts the king of Edenia by leaping on him. The opponent wrapped his legs around Shao's neck and pushed them together. Shao turned around to his attacker and to his surprise he saw Reptile, "Reptile?!"

"Nobody attacksss Kotal," Reptile said with a great rage forming in his cold blooded heart, "Essspecially you of all people!" As time went by, Reptile realized how horrible Shao had really been to him. He got no respect, was constantly insulted, and at times was even abused by the despot. Reptile slowly grew to despise Shao Kahn and everything he stood for after his death. Now he got to take that rage out on him.

Kotal called him off, "Relent, Syzoth! He is not our enemy." Reptile relented and jumped off of Shao's shoulders. Kotal was so relieved to see his servant alive and well, "I'm so glad to see you, Syzoth. How did you come back?"

"That thing has a name," Shao Kahn asked.

Reptile hissed at his old master, "I never told you becaussse you alwaysss usssed me! Kotal ressspects me like you never did. And to anssswer hisss quessstion, I managed to essscape once Onaga ssshed hisss physssical form."

The Osh-Tekk took Reptile by his side, "You may doubt my ways, Shao Kahn, but this is what being a good leader gives you. Your men are forever loyal to you, even in the worst of times. Under your ways they only work under you in fear. As soon as a better option shows up, they'll take it."

Shao Kahn dismissed Kotal's words, "Yeah right." He was so confident in his ways he even asked all of his warriors, "Who of you would choose to die under me and me alone?" Only Ermac stood forward. Jade, Rain, and Tanya did not.

Kotal Kahn then asked his warriors, "Who of _you_ would choose to die under me and me alone?" Reptile, Skarlet, Sheeva, Ferra and Torr stood forward.

Erron shrugged, "If the other side is offerin' better pay, then I'll at least consider it. Nothin' personal, boss."

The once Outworld emperor calmly accepted that, "I'm not mad at you for that, you can't win over everyone."

"I would have had his head for saying that," Shao Kahn said with a great anger in his voice.

Kotal nodded, "And that is why only one of your men chooses to submit. Of course he did, though. You were his creator, he's biased. No offense Ermac, but you are."

Kotal had made his point. Almost none of Shao's lieutenants would give their lives for him. Tanya and Rain could turn at any time, and Jade was only around for Edenia's well-being. For the first time in his life, Shao almost _might_ reconsider the way he runs things.

But now was not the time to reconsider as Fujin reminds them, "Are we all done fighting? Because the rifts are only growing bigger and more numerous! We _need_ to stop Onaga! I've got an idea we'll split up into six teams of four to retrieve the Kamidogu." The massive group saluted. Fujin clapped his hands together, "Alright, we'll get things started! My team will be Kotal, Shao, and I. The rest of you can determine your teams on your own. But do it quickly!"

The first team came together in just a couple seconds. It was made up of Skarlet, Tanya, Rain, and Reptile.

The second team was made up of Jade, Kitana, Ermac, and Sub-Zero.

The third team was Cassie, Jacqui, Kung Jin, and Takeda.

The fourth team was Sheeva, Erron, Ferra, and Torr.

The fifth and last team was Johnny Cage, Jax, Sonya, and Frost.

 _Team One:_

Team one's job was to retrieve the Kamidogu in Onaga's tail. Tanya gathered them around, "Okay team, we need to find a way to get that Kamidogu. Anyone got any ideas?"

"It's clear we need to find a way up to where he is," Skarlet commented, "but I don't know how we'll do that."

Rain raised his hand, "The moat around the fortress. I could probably launch one of us up there like a water torpedo."

Tanya actually approved, "That's…not a bad idea, actually. I'm surprised a good idea actually came from you! But I sure won't be the one going up there." The other three knew who it had to be.

Little more than a minute later, Reptile was in the moat. He was ready and willing to be shot high into the sky. Skarlet tossed him two of her kunai, "Take these you'll have a better grip with them."

Reptile caught them, "Okay, I'm ready!" Rain raised his hands into the air, forcing the water around Reptile to take to the sky like a rocket. Reptile shot up with it.

"Are you sure this'll work," the blood construct asked Tanya.

Tanya was assured that it'll work, "He'll be fine, trust me."

Rain looked up and saw a small speck, "I think that's him! Are…are you sure he'll be fine?"

Tanya looked up along with him, "Rain you idiot! Can't you see this was a bad idea?!"

"You…you're the one who agreed to it," Rain retorted with a hint of panic to his voice.

Skarlet shook her head, "I can't believe we just got him back only for him to die again! You idiots killed Reptile!"

If they were panicking, imagine how it felt to be Reptile. But Syzoth remained brave nonetheless, "I'll ssshow them all what Reptile can do!"

The Zaterran finally made it to Onaga's winding tail. He stabbed the pair of kunai into Onaga's skin, giving him a good grip. He ascended the tail slowly, the winds blowing directly into his face. Finally he made it to the Earthrealm Kamidogu. It seemed like it was almost too easy…until Onaga started shaking him off. Reptile lost his grip on kunai, slipping off. He nearly lost the Kamidogu! That was until his long tongue came out from his mouth, wrapping itself around the dagger's handle. He got it! He actually got it! He whipped back his head, pulling the Kamidogu out from Onaga's tail.

There was one little problem with this, though. He came falling down! Reptile closed his eyes and waited for impact of the ground. To his surprise he was caught by Shao Kahn of all people! Reptile thanked him with the Kamidogu still wrapped around his tongue. Shao Kahn placed him on the ground and pulled the artifact from his tongue, "Don't you ever mention this to anybody."

With one Kamidogu down, the Dragon King descended from the sky and was closer to the ground. This made it easier for

 _Team Two:_

Kitana had one question for her best friend before they got started, "I need to know. How's Edenia doing under Shao Kahn's rule?"

"Edenia is doing surprisingly great," Jade answered, "I don't know how he did it but he rebuilt it from the ashes."

The princess couldn't understand it. Edenia couldn't be doing great under her adoptive father. There's no way. He's a horrible tyrant! She trailed off, "What…?"

Ermac defended his creator, "Do not be so surprised. He was always a brilliant leader."

"No he wasn't," Kitana replied with disgust, "the fact you even think so makes me sick."

Jade came to Ermac's defense, "Kitana please, even with his loyalty to Shao Kahn, Ermac is still much better than when you last saw him. Don't be so hostile."

Sub-Zero agreed, "Jade's right. We're a team after all. Now if we want to get that Kamidogu in Onaga's leg, we need to find a way to get him grounded."

"Okay," Kitana began, "it'll take a lot of effort from all of us but I got an idea. I'll grab his attention, then Ermac can grab him with his telekinesis, Sub-Zero can freeze him to the ground, and Jade will get the Kamidogu from his leg."

The soul filled construct had much doubt in that plan, "How do you expect us to hold something so large down long enough for Sub-Zero to freeze him?"

"I have faith in you," Jade added, "If anybody can do it it's you. I know you can." Ermac did not reply, but he seemed to gain a bit more confidence from that.

Kitana motioned for them all to stand back, "So we're agreed! Alright team, let's get him!" Kitana threw her fans at Onaga, attracting his attention. He swooped down at her with the speed of an incoming meteor!

Right when Onaga came for the ground, Ermac grabbed him with his telekinesis and slammed him onto the ground. He was buckling under the stress of the Dragon King struggling in his grip. He signaled to Sub-Zero to freeze him onto the ground.

Kuai shot an ice blast at Onaga, freezing him. Yet even then he saw the ice cracking under his might, so he chose to continue shooting an endless stream of ice at Onaga. He began to sweat he had never kept a continuous stream of ice up for this long.

Jade was up next, she dove at Onaga's frozen thigh. The ice did not make for a good surface to climb. She could lose her grip at any minute. Luckily the Netherrealm Kamidogu was right in her sight. She reached out for it and pulled it out from his body.

With the Kamidogu removed, Ermac and Sub-Zero released Onaga, who took off back into the sky above.

Ermac was so exhausted by the ordeal he fell on his knees. Jade came to him and pulled him up, "Excellent work out there! I wasn't sure if you could actually do it, honestly."

The construct didn't say a word for he did not have the strength.

Kuai was not in much better condition. He couldn't keep his footing as he was quite woozy. Kitana caught him just before he fell to the ground, "Are you alright Sub-Zero? Do you need first aid?"

"I'm fine, princess," he assured her with a weary voice, "just keep guard of the Kamidogu."

 _Team Three:_

With a third of the Kamidogu removed from his body, Onaga sunk lower to the ground. He was merely hovering rather than flying. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

Even still, nobody in the group took charge as team leader. It would be hard to get on Onaga's back to retrieve that Seidan Kamidogu. Especially for the four youngest there, none of them had any powers like the people on the other teams.

Kung Jin pointed his bow up at Onaga, "Hmmmm…I might be able to hit him from here? Perhaps if I had a rope then one of us could climb up there."

Cassie smirked, "Let's not use that. I've got a grappling-hook." Cassie aimed the grappling-hook at one of the Dragon King's many back fins, "Don't worry, I've got this."

Jacqui grabbed onto the grappling-hook too, "Girl you are not going alone."

Takeda placed his hand on Jacqui's, "If you're going, I'm going too."

Kung Jin decided to stay on the ground, "If one of you falls, you need someone to catch you. Luckily, I can be the one to do that."

Cassie shot the hook at one of the fins, it wrapped around it. Before they could discuss what to do next, Onaga pulled them up with him. The three friends climbed the grappling-hook's rope carefully, being sure not to slip. Onaga turned back to them with the largest grimace he could muster, "Bah, foolish children! You cannot stop the immortal Onaga! I am invincible!"

He severed the rope with his claws, sending Jacqui and Takeda back to the ground. The only one left was Cassie, whose breathing got deeper. For all her confidence, she had never faced anything quite like this. Still she continued to ascend the cable. Onaga continued to mock her, "I am strong enough to shatter mountains! You have absolutely no hope of getting that Kamidogu! Give up now, maybe I'll allow you a good place in my empire if you do."

She declined his offer, "Yeah right, I don't think I'd ever want a place in an empire like yours." The young girl finally reached the top of the massive dragon's back. The view would almost be beautiful were it not so terrifying. Gathering her courage, she searched Onaga's back until she found the Seidan Kamidogu lodged in the fins just beneath his neck.

She grabbed the Kamidogu yet she herself was snatched by Onaga's hand, "I gave you a chance yet you denied me. If I may say, it's quite the fatal mistake on your part."

 _Team Five:_

With their daughter in danger, Sonya and Johnny needed to act now! Frost had an idea, "Okay I'll freeze you two into a ball of ice and then Jax can toss you up to him! The ball should be hard enough to knock the wind out of his sails."

Jax shook his head, "You kiddin' me? I ain't gonna let you freeze my two partners!"

"Let her do it," Sonya allowed, "unless you've got a better idea that is."

Johnny threw off his sunglasses, "I sure as hell don't. Now what are you waiting for, freeze us!"

"No clever comments," Frost asked sarcastically.

For once Johnny was gravely serious, "A big Godzilla looking dragon has my daughter! This isn't the time for one-liners! Now freeze us!"

Frost obliged, freezing the divorced couple in an almost glacier-like sphere of ice. Jax picked it up with all of his strength and chucked it at Onaga. The slush ball hit Onaga in the snout, taking him out for a very temporary time.

Using a shadow kick, Johnny broke free of the ice. He turned to his ex, "Look, I'll keep Mushu here busy! You get Cassie and that mystical dagger in Onaga's hand!"

"I can't just leave you here," She said to him in a most concerned way, "I'm not one to leave a soldier behind even if it's you."

Cage smiled at that, "That's the nicest thing you've said to me in a while…but I don't care! Go!"

Sonya nodded, hopping off of the long snout and into Onaga's arm. She pulled out the Chaosrealm Kamidogu in Onaga's hand along with Cassie and the Seidan Kamidogu she had in her hand. Sonya leapt off, activating her parachute. Both women arrived on the ground safely.

Cassie gave a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness for you, mom! I think he actually might've fried me!"

Takeda, Jacqui, and Kung Jin greeted her happily. "I was so worried about you," Jacqui said to her friend.

"How'd you two make it alright," she questioned.

Kung Jin grinned, "I caught them with a net…with some help from Kitana's team."

Cassie was so comforted to see both her mother and her friends were okay. Yet soon something hit her, "Wait, where's the old man?!"

Sonya placed her hand on her daughter's cheek, "Johnny decided to make sure we could escape."

Johnny soon joined them as he crashed onto the ground, leaving a massive crater behind him. Cassie ran over to it, "Dad? Dad, you alright?"

Cage arose out of the crater with green energy surging through-out him, "Yeah, yeah. I used some of that green stuff I've got in me keeping me okay." His back cracked slightly, "Maybe okay isn't the right word. But I survived, right?"

 _Team Four:_

There was still the Kamidogu in Onaga's neck. Sheeva threw out a suggestion on how to get it, "How about I just throw Erron up there? He'll be fine probably."

Erron shook his head, "No way, no how! Couldn't pay me to do that!"

Ferra liked the sound of that, "Yes! Cowboy go flying! But Torr could throw four arm man too!"

"I am not a man," Sheeva growled, "and I am not going to be thrown around like that! I am Shokan royalty, I deserve better!"

Torr picked her up without her permission and tossed her right at Onaga's neck. Erron laughed, "Serves 'er right fer pickin' on me!"

Yet he would find that Torr would toss him up too! Both Sheeva and Erron were sent flying without any way to actually grab on. There was no plan either! Torr threw them fast enough that they at least did land on Onaga. However they landed on his tail rather than his neck.

Sheeva groaned, "Alright Erron, I hate you. You hate me. We got that over with. How're we going to get up that Edenian Kamidogu?"

Onaga barged into their conversation, "You won't!" His entire winding body began waving in an effort to shake them off. Sheeva gripped on for dear life yet Erron wasn't so lucky. His fingers slipped and he nearly fell to his doom.

Yet Sheeva saved his life by using a free hand to grab him. Having four arms sure is nice sometimes.

"I have an idea," she said to him, "I'll toss you up and you grab on! Then you toss me up and I'll grab on! We'll pull each other up his body until we get to the Edenian Kamidogu!"

Erron nodded, "Sounds like a plan! Now toss me up!"

While still grabbing on, Sheeva threw Erron ahead of her. He held on to the scales of Onaga to the best of his ability. Then he threw her ahead of him. They repeated this until they reached the Edenian Kamidogu! Sheeva grabbed it with her other free hand, "We got it!"

Erron gulped, "Don't count yer chickens 'fore they hatch! How're we gonna get down?"

Sheeva let go, her weight taking Erron with her, "Don't worry, we've above the moat! We'll fall into the water and be fine!"

"Maybe you will! My clothes will get all wet," Erron complained, "that ain't a problem fer you when yer basically wearin' a string bikini as is!"

Sheeva responded by defending the way she dresses, "Yes and? All the Shokan dress like this! All Goro ever wore was a pair of underwear and a sash! Kintaro is only slightly more dressed by having a harness!" Their conversation came to an end when they both splashed into the moat around what remains of Onaga's castle.

With all but one Kamidogu taken from him, Onaga came crashing to the ground! But this was far from the end for him, as he still had Shinnok's amulet along with the Outworld Kamidogu! Losing the ability to fly did not inhibit him in the slightest. He chose to slither along the ground like a massive snake, ramming down anything unfortunate enough to cross his path.

 _The Final Team:_

This was it! The fate of all the realms was in the hands of Kotal Kahn, Fujin, and Shao Kahn! Yet Onaga knew a quick way to reduce those numbers.

Using his still godlike power he had the sun entirely blocked out from the sky, immensely weakening Kotal. This eclipse was a devastating blow to the Osh-Tekk fighter. He fell on his knees in weakness.

Onaga gloated at him, "I told you I'd find a way to make you kneel! The rest will follow suit!"

Kotal reached out to both Fujin and Shao, "I cannot go on like this. I am almost useless during a total eclipse. You must find a way to stop him on you own!"

Both Edenia's ruler and Earthrealm's protector stood firm against the Dragon King. "I bow to nobody," Shao Kahn replied to his former master.

"You used to bow to me," Onaga retorted, "and now, I'll teach you how to do so again!"

Fujin too had no tolerance for the Dragon King's boasting, "We do not bow to your type."

Onaga chose not to reply with words, he chose to instead spit fire upon his enemies. Fujin blew the flames away. After that, Shao Kahn went running after the god-like monster.

The Dragon King came sliding after him with surprising speed. Shao leapt up above his gaping maw and onto his forehead. He tore the Outworld Kamidogu straight out from Onaga's forehead! Without any of the Kamidogu, one would think Onaga would transform back yet he didn't.

"Hah! It's too late," Onaga boasted arrogantly, "I'm strong enough that I don't even need those puny little trinkets anymore! I'll admit that _was_ a good effort! I'm almost impressed by you all. Yet even your best attempts were all for naught! On this day, the Dragon King is successful!"

Shao Kahn decided that if taking out all the Kamidogu couldn't kill Onaga, then brute force would have to do! He ran up Onaga's backside leading to his tail. He leapt off and grabbed it. The pressure in him was rising. He knew this was the only way!

A golden glow emitted from Shao Kahn, showing that the Elder Gods were for once lending a helping hand! With his now enhanced strength, Shao pulled up on Onaga's tail, throwing him back into the air! Fujin picked up on Shao Kahn's plan and formed a massive tornado around Onaga.

Shao jumped into the tornado without any hesitation. He hopped up on the debris swirling through the air, using them like platforms. Finally he made it up to the helplessly swirling Dragon King! Even in this time of panic Onaga couldn't help but taunt Shao about his impending victory, "Are you still trying? I am Onaga, immortal ruler of Outworld and soon all the realms! Your endeavors are all in vain!"

Shao did not care for Onaga's bragging, as he dove at him with great aggression. When he landed, he pulled on Onaga's horns. Using his power, the Dragon King spat fire across the tornado, forming a flaming whirlwind around them both. Again he derided his opponent, "You boorish oaf, if this continues you'll die! You'll all die! You cannot kill me!"

Shao did not give him the satisfaction of replying. Even in the heat of the burning cyclone he chose not to give in. In a vulgar display of his power over Onaga, he pulled harder on the dragon's horns. Slowly Onaga's neck split open from the sheer force exerted on those horns. Blood spilled out from the slit. Even still Onaga did not stop his bragging, "Do you really think this'll work? Hah, a pitiful effort from a pitiful man! You couldn't take me one-on-one back then and you still cannot now! When the dust has settled and when everyone looks back, they'll see that I am the victor of this battle!"

"That's where you're wrong," Shao Kahn replied with a psychotic grin across his face, "now I'm going to finish you!" Shao was successful in tearing the psychotic deity's head right from his neck, killing him in the process. After he was murdered, Onaga's body completely and utterly disintegrated in front of the Elder Gods' champion. It was over. Onaga's reign over Outworld had ended yet again, hopefully this time for good.

With Onaga's power over the realms having gone null, the realms that had merged with Outworld in this fiasco, along with the people brought over, were returned back to where they once had been. The eternal eclipse over Outworld faded away, revealing a bright sunset behind it. With a little help from nearly all the realms Onaga had been laid to rest.

Fujin dissipated the tornado, allowing Shao to land on the ground with a loud crash. He arose from the crash with a victorious strut. Fujin ran up to him and shook his hand, "I can't believe we did it!"

Shao Kahn stood proudly in his place, "As if there was any doubt, Fujin."

Kotal Kahn picked himself up from the ground with surprise, "I wasn't sure if we could actually do it! But yet we did, together."

"As I am aware," Shao acknowledged, "I will admit that, but I don't think any of us could have finished him like I did."

The three leaders remained quiet after that. What else was there to say? In the end they were victorious. Their quest had come to a conclusion. The realms were at peace, Edenia had been restored, Raiden had been killed, Liu Kang's reign over the Netherrealm was put to an early end, and Onaga was dead.

The silence was broken by Kotal, "My people are finally safe again. Outworld can finally return under my care."

Shao Kahn raised his fist as if he was about to attack the Outworld emperor yet chose not to, "Yes. Outworld does belong to you again, Kotal, for now at least." He started walking off into the sunset.

"Where are you going," Fujin questioned.

"I'm going back to Edenia," Shao answered, "I'll have your men sent back to you as soon as possible, Kotal. I wish you the best of luck in ruling Outworld."

Kotal was confused by this, "I…I thought he was going to try and take Outworld back for himself."

"As did I," Fujin replied, "but maybe he has changed, albeit only a little bit."

That's when the two came to a realization! The Kamidogu! They could still be out there somewhere! But they were not panicked for long, as they found them on the ground...with one catch. All six of them were shattered to pieces. Not only were the Kamidogu shattered, they found Shinnok's amulet was broken too!

"Who could have done this," Kotal pondered out loud.

Fujin shrugged, "I don't know, but whoever it was had practically done us a favor. Those things were nothing but trouble."

The wind god and the Osh-Tekk soon went off on their own just as Shao did, leaving this incident behind for good…

 _Aaaaaaand that wraps up what I like to call the Onaga Saga, I consider it the middle of this story. The first part of it was what I call Heroes' Corruption, since Raiden and Liu Kang played the role of the first major antagonists. Well Raiden did anyway seeing as how poor Liu didn't last long. The Dragon King has had quite an influence on this story since he had been first mentioned in chapter five, hasn't he? He might be dead but his influence won't entirely die with him. Of course since this is the end of the middle of the story, that means we're on our way to the last major arc! You didn't think this'd be one of those stories that went beyond like fifty chapters did you? If so, I hate to disappoint you but there is no way that was ever going to happen. I simply just don't have the patience to do something that long. If you want a storylike that then I suggest PinkRedRose2's superb Mortal Kombat: Desperation, I mean that is if you aren't here from her recommending my humble little story to begin with. Still appreciate that shout-out by the way! But don't worry, even if we're at the last arc that doesn't mean we're anywhere near the end of the story. There's a lot more I have in store. Aaaaanyway, that's it for this chapter! Hope I'll see you in the next one!_


	16. Brief Celebrations

A week had passed since Onaga's ultimate demise. It was a quiet week, things had calmed immensely. Rather than the panic and fear they felt during his uprising, there was instead much celebration and rejoicing! Whether it was Eartrealm, Outworld, or Edenia nearly all the realms were celebrating the Dragon King's death. They held parades, fairs, and other events. There was only one realm that showed a disdain for Onaga's loss. That realm was Seido, the realm of Order.

Yes, the royal Seidan guardsmen were actually rooting for Onaga. The Dragon King was a strict leader, one who appreciated plenty of the finer things in life and kept his men in order. To the Seidans, he was the perfect person to lead the realms. The leader of the Seidan guard, Hotaru, made his displeasure quite clear, "How could they kill such a brilliant leader? Do they not know the life they live is one of constant chaos and turmoil? If only he could have shown them the way, _our_ way."

One of the guards sighed deeply, "It's as saddening as it gets, general."

"Just because he's dead doesn't mean his vision has to die with him," Hotaru said to his guard, "I think we can still bring it to life. The first thing that needs to be done is assassinating one of the greatest instigators of chaos throughout all the realms… _Shao Kahn_."

There wasn't a name in all the realms that the citizens of Orderrealm hated more than Shao Kahn's. Shao Kahn never invaded Seido once. Surprisingly he has not even set foot in the realm in his entire life. Yet the Seidans hated him just as much as Earthrealmers, if not more so. He was a leader who let his people live in complete anarchy, especially the Tarkatan. There were no real rules, no real boundaries. The only real rule was to never question Shao Kahn's rule. Other than that there was nothing keeping the people from rioting in the streets, robbing others blind, and committing murder as they pleased. One might think Shao Kahn's armies might've stopped such people, but no. Some of them even instigated such acts. Only one city remained free of such persecution and that was Lei Chen, a sector of Outworld controlled fiercely by the Seidans. Not even Kotal Kahn, in his more orderly ways, was allowed access to the supposed safehaven.

Actually there might be a name that riled up the Seidan guardsmen more than Shao's. That name was _Havik._ Now isn't the time to talk about him, but we'll get there soon enough…

One of the guardsmen walked in, dragging in a bald black man in orange sunglasses, "Hotaru, sir! We found this delinquent outside of the Seidan Prison. He was pacing around it in a very suspicious manner. Not only that, but it was after the curfew!"

Hotaru quickly recognized the man, "Darrius…what form of devilry are you up to now?"

Darrius did not reply. He only smirked at him and spat at his feet. Hotaru gave a deep disgusted sigh, "Spitting in public is worth five years dungeon alone, but spitting at the feet of someone of my stature is worth _500 years_ dungeon. I want this troublemaker taken away at once!"

Blades popped out of Darrius' wrist gauntlets and he stabbed the guard holding him in the side, "How many years is that? I'm curious!"

"Killing a member of the guard is worth one whole millennia of imprisonment," Hotaru told him, "that is, if the courts decide to have you executed." Hotaru grabbed his staff and aimed it at the rebellious rabble-rouser, "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

Darrius grabbed his naginata by the shaft, "Never bring a stick to a knife fight."

"I can assure you that this is no mere stick," Hotaru replied before he pulled the staff in, pulling in Darrius too. He tripped Darrius up and placed the tip of it against his neck, "I am normally a proponent for due processing, but for you I think I'll make an exception."

Darrius went in with a dirty move and kicked Hotaru in the crotch, "Due processing? That kangaroo court a' yours hardly counts as due processing!"

Hotaru fell onto the ground, writhing in pain. Darrius placed one of his wrist blades against the general, "Don't feel so good to be on the other side of it, does it?" He was ready to finish Hotaru once and for all, yet all of the guardsmen surrounded him before he could. They pointed all of their naginatas at him, "Damn…maybe we could finish this another time, huh?"

Darrius leapt up above the guards, running across their heads. He ran for as long as he could. Finally he escaped their pursuit in minutes. He paused, "So Hotaru wants to go after Shao Kahn, huh? I see a chance for an alliance…"

Yet as said before, not everyone was upset with Onaga's demise. Back in Outworld, the festivities still continued even a week later. Kotal Kahn along with his lieutenants was attending a festival celebrating the Dragon King's death. The Tarkata, Shokan, Centaurs, and other races were all united in one in this festival. None of them really liked the way Onaga ran things. Yes, the Tarkata felt he was too strict. They were a naturally chaotic race and as such they could not stand being led in such an orderly way. The Shokan felt Onaga took away Sheeva's presence on the Outworld council. Under Onaga, there practically was no council. The Shokan had no word in his activities. The Centaurs felt the dragon blood that coursed through his veins made him too much like the Shokan, who were direct descendants of the very race Onaga was from. Yet they all still listened to him, they had no choice. They had no chance against him.

Yes the parade marched across the street proudly, all the races of the realm felt like one single group for the first time. All united in their hatred for the Dragon King. Kotal Kahn watched the parade from atop watchtower in the middle of the crowded streets. He smiled at his people, "I've never seen the people of this realm so enthusiastic."

In the roads below, Kotal's lieutenants marched in the parade, waving at the crowds. Soon a giant dragon float emerged, breathing fire everywhere. Reptile, Skarlet, Erron, Sheeva, Ferra, and Torr pulled out six cardboard cutouts shaped like the Kamidogu. After that, the dragon float exploded into confetti that rained down on the crowds. Yes, it was the happiest day Outworld had seen in years.

Still though, trouble plagued Kotal's every thought. He slumped in his seat, gazing off into space. He couldn't help but wonder who could have shattered the Kamidogu. The Earthrealm heroes were brought back to Earthrealm before any of them could have, as were the Edenians. But nobody in Outworld's forces would have reason to break them. It was a complete mystery. A mystery he couldn't help but think about. What motivation could there be? Was it truly because whoever did it wanted to make sure they could never fall into the wrong hands again? Or was it rather because they wanted to make sure the powerful artifacts couldn't get in the way of their own plot?

Kotal's deep thoughts were soon interrupted by one of his own soldiers, "Uhhh sir? Sir?"

Kotal snapped out of his trance at that, "Wha…what is it that you need?"

"Would you like your fortress to be rebuilt the way it was before or would you prefer to oversee the development of it yourself?"

"Don't fix what isn't broken," Kotal replied, "I must admit, for all the trouble he caused us, I do admire Onaga's idea to put a death trap around the throne room. I want that kept in, got it?"

The soldier nodded, "Of course. And while your fortress is out of commission, Li Mei has offered you a place in her seaside village after all you've done for her. You did help liberate her town from enslavement."

"I'll take her up on that offer," Kotal graciously accepted, "I do need a place to stay after all. Oh and don't bother thanking her as I want to do it in person."

The warrior bowed before his emperor, "As you wish, I'll tell her that you'll be arriving by tonight."

Kotal continued to watch the parade after that, with an ever growing concern of a bigger threat sitting in the back of his mind. He thought this was just paranoia yet he still couldn't shake it. He knew that he had to prepare for whatever he felt was coming.

Edenia too was celebrating the defeat of the Dragon King with a massive dinner feast in Shao Kahn's castle. Everyone was invited to come, from the villagers to every member of his infantry. Also attending was Kitana, who wanted to catch up with her best friend, even if it meant having to deal with her 'father.' With her there, tensions were quite high.

Shao Kahn started the ceremony off with a speech, "We as a realm have come quite far in such little time. We, along with Earthrealm and Outworld, have managed to conquer the Dragon King and his forces! Even with his godly power, he was no match for us! As many of our warriors saw, I slew that dragon with my bare hands! I mean with a little help from the Elder Gods and our allies of course. With his death, comes celebration! That is why we are having this banquet. This is a new day in our realm. Even still, we cannot remember him as a mere tyrant. I knew him personally as my emperor, before I saved it from his—"

Kitana cut his long speech off, "I haven't been here for more than five minutes but I already can't stand it! You saved nothing! If you were any better than the Dragon King, it was only marginally at best."

Jade wrapped an arm around her friend's back in an effort to calm her her, "I know you hate him, I do too, but this is the first time this realm has ever been at peace in such a long time. Don't ruin it."

Kitana stood up from her chair and gently moved Jade's arm off, "You're my best friend Jade. I know you mean well, but as long as that monster remains in the throne this realm can never truly be at peace."

"I wasn't finished with my speech," Shao Kahn said to her with his patience quickly wearing thin.

The former princess still stood defiantly against the king, "The speech is the least of your worries. I can't believe it, he's got you all suckered into buying his act. Can't you see this is _Shao Kahn?_ He's the one who had our realm merged with Outworld, he killed the true ruler of this realm, _and_ he's committed countless atrocities. I refuse to stand still and watch him desecrate Edenia!"

Shao Kahn growled at her, "If you don't silence yourself, I'll have you sent to the dungeon immediately!"

Jade too stood against the king now, "I already lost my best friend once I'm not going to do it again. If she goes, I go too."

"You cannot truly agree with her can you," Ermac questioned, "she is an instigator of rebellion. She'll destroy this realm by questioning Shao!"

Jade shook her head in disappointment, "I'd hate to have to fight you Ermac, but I do agree with what she's saying. She's saying what I've been wanting to for a long time."

Shao Kahn stomped his foot in rage, "Rain, Tanya, have these two escorted to the dungeon immediately!"

The construct of souls pleaded with his master, "Wait! There surely must be a lesser punishment for these two. They do not deserve the dungeon for they have done no crimes!"

"I will not have anybody try to cause an uprising," Kahn replied as sternly as possible, "doing so is a crime in my rulebook. As king, I make the rules as I please."

Rain and Tanya grabbed the two native Edenians. They did not put up a fight, almost as if they didn't need to.

Ermac picked both of Shao's enforcers up with his telekinesis and shoved them against the wall, "Kitana, Jade, run!"

Both of them vanished in green smoke, leaving nothing behind. Shao Kahn was most angered by this action, "What have you done?! You've allowed them to escape! Those two will lead us into another civil war!"

"Good," Ermac simply replied. It took quite a long time but Ermac's eyes were finally open. He could now see how truly terrible Shao Kahn was. To think, he had unquestioningly served him for so long. All the things he did for him. He realized that he was a contributing factor in bringing Shao back into power. But perhaps there was still time to fix what had gone wrong…

Shao Kahn was actually surprised by that response. Not once had Ermac ever disobeyed him. He hardly even questioned him! Maybe deep within his being, Shao Kahn was even saddened by this turn of events. Ermac was the only one who said he would serve him no matter what just a week ago. But now he had betrayed him. He now knows what it was like when he turned his back on Onaga so many years ago. With all that in mind, he still had to do something. He couldn't just let this traitor go free. What kind of example would it set?

"To the dungeons with him," Shao Kahn demanded, "he'll learn his lesson down there!"

The guards hesitantly approached Ermac, They knew how powerful he could be, but perhaps their greater numbers would allow a win nonetheless. Ermac calmly raised his hand, causing them to pause, "We will go to the dungeon without a fight."

Shao Kahn stopped him. He had an offer for his creation, "If you realize the error of your ways and pledge to never disobey again…perhaps I'll allow you back into my ranks."

Ermac turned back to him. He gave a heavy sigh, "We do realize the error of our ways. Why do you think we let them go?"

The guards hauled him off to the dungeon. Shao Kahn slumped into his seat, the celebration had been ruined. It was evident that there was no fixing it either. So he had it called off, "This dinner has been cancelled. Everyone leave immediately."

"Does this make me your second-in-command now," Rain asked before leaving.

Shao Kahn nodded, "If nobody else wants to take the role."

The half-god victoriously raised his fists in the air, "Yes!"

"Now get out," Shao Kahn demanded. The room cleared out, leaving Shao Kahn alone. The candles died down after a few minutes. He still did not get up to leave. He sat in the darkness, thinking about what Ermac had said. Normally when Shao was betrayed, he expected it. To him all of his servants were all maggots who wanted to feed off of his power. But Ermac was different. He did not betray him for power, rather he betrayed him for morality reasons. Since when did Ermac have a conscience?

He pondered this for quite some time. Shao may've even felt guilty over it, but he couldn't feel guilty could he? He slammed his fist down in his armrest, "Bah! It's nothing! Ermac was just another pawn in my ranks! He's easily replaceable like the rest of them."

He then came to a terrible realization. The realization that perhaps his time as Edenia's ruler and serving the Elder Gods has made him weak, "Could it be possible that that I'm growing soft? No, that's impossible! I am Shao Kahn the Konquerer, I feel sympathy for nobody! But the old Shao Kahn would have killed Kotal where he stands right away instead of working with him. I would have killed the Dragon King alone!" Then he remembered that he did try to take Onaga on alone…and nearly died because of it, "Hmmm…perhaps it would have been better to have died alone."

He looked out the window of the banquet room, seeing the village below his castle. The people there looked quite joyous. He sneered at them, "Look those peasants. Not a care in the world..." soon he fell asleep in his chair.

As he slept, he dreamt of the day after Onaga had died for the first time. It was a dreary day, the clouds were black and it seemed a storm was brewing. He sat in Onaga's throne, which was now his. He relaxed in it, "Outworld belongs to Shao Kahn! I will go down as the greatest ruler this realm has ever known!"

He got up from his throne moments afterwards, looking down at the people. They were happy that Onaga was slain. In fact they were much like the Edenian people now. He smiled at them, "These are now my people. I will do what Onaga didn't do. I will give my people the freedom they so deserve."

One of the guards walked in, "Excuse me, my emperor. But someone is here to see you." A young King Jerrod walked in, dressed in a fancy robe. Jarrod beamed at the new emperor, "Greetings Shao, I see you've made yourself at home."

"Jerrod," Shao greeted, "I haven't seen you since the war between our realms."

Jerrod brushed it off, "Yes, yes, the war you rigged against Onaga. A brilliant tactic, might I say. He must have been furious when he found out you 'lost.'"

"Oh he was," The newly crowned emperor confirmed, "I think he was half tempted to go into the realm himself, but he chose not to. Of course, he'd rather me do that for him instead."

The Edenian king chuckled lightly, "I'm glad he didn't, I doubt our forces would have what it takes to fend him off." He paused, remembering that he had reason to be there, "Oh right, right, before I forget I'm here for a reason. I wanted to put the past behind us and make peace between our realms. There is no need for a war, is there?"

Shao shook his head, "Absolutely not. I think our realm could become strong allies, even."

Jerrod stroked his chin, "You might be on to something, Shao. I think I'd like that."

The two forged a strong friendship. Jerrod even lent a hand when the Zaterrans invaded Outworld little over ten years later. Unfortunately their alliance was not to last forever. Shao Kahn changed after that invasion. He felt the power being emperor gave him when he sent the reptillian armies back into their realm with their tails between their legs. Yet he wasn't finished. He soon performed a counter invasion.

Shao's dream soon flashed back to the day they met over that invasion. Jerrod walked into his throne room with much concern, "Invading Zaterra is a bad idea, you know."

"What? They attacked us first," Shao justified, "I'm only doing to them as they did to us."

Jerrod sighed, "But perhaps if you left them alone, they'd make for great allies later on down the line."

The past Shao Kahn laughed at such an idea, "I'm just giving them a taste of their own medicine. Besides, I'm doing a great thing for my realm. By keeping them prepared for war, I'll make sure our army is unbeatable. And if I merge Zaterra with this realm, that just means more land for my people and the Zaterrans get me as a ruler. It's a win-win for everybody."

"Shao look out your window," Jerrod asked of him. Shao obliged and what he saw wasn't pretty. The Tarkata were getting restless. So they took to raiding the nearby village. People were running and screaming from their hordes, yet they did not relent. Jerrod motioned to the carnage, "If your armies were here instead of invading Zaterra, all those lives could have been saved. Instead they had to die because you wanted to get revenge."

Shao shrugged, "I can't just stop the Tarkata from doing as they please. I granted them freedom from Onaga's camps and if this is what they want to do, then so be it. That's the price of the ultimate freedom. Besides, maybe those villagers should have been prepared for those mutants. It's not like their riots are uncommon."

"That's the problem, Shao," Jerrod retorted, "Tarkata riots are on the rise! You need to do something about them!"

Shao agreed, "A fair point. How do you think they'd do in the war against Zaterra?"

The king was utterly disgusted by him even suggesting that, "They'd brutally slaughter the Zaterrans! Those poor reptillians would have absolutely no chance, even the innocents would be razed by those half-breeds!"

"I'm drafting them into the invasion," Shao Kahn replied, "I can't just lose this war, Jerrod. I can't give up. I need to set an example to prevent more realms from invading ours. If we let the Zaterrans off, then what will the other realms think?"

"The other realms would think nothing of it," Jerrod replied in a near pleading tone, "you can't possibly think this act of barbarism will make the other realms suddenly think you're a great leader. They'll think you're just a common monster just like Onaga."

Shao Kahn drew great rage from that comparison, "You _dare_ compare me to my old master?! I'm nothing like him and you know it. I run things entirely different to him."

"You run things differently, not better," Jerrod clarified, "you might even be worse."

The still relatively new emperor only grew more impatient with his friend, "Worse?! Look out there, Jerrod. While those villagers might not like what's happening, the Tarkata are happier than they have been in years. Who am I to intercept in what brings them joy?"

Jerrod sighed yet again, his disappointment becoming stronger, "The Tarkata are a vile bunch of savages. While I did not approve of Onaga's internment camps, I can't say they're making a stronger case for themselves. The helpless people need you militia. Please bring your soldiers back, only they can set things right."

Jerrod was right, the infantry needed to come home. Shao Kahn realized this, "You're right I've been such a fool. I don't need my men in Zaterra."

Jerrod smiled, quite pleased that his friend wasn't lost, "I knew you would listen to reason."

The Edenian King had no idea what Shao was about to say next, "I'll do it myself. My men have been doing a poor job. I on the other hand will single handedly _crush_ those reptilian mongrels beneath my feet!"

"You…you've gone mad with power," Jerrod said in a hushed tone while backing out towards the exit of the throne room, "you can't take on the entire Zaterran army by yourself! You'll die out there!"

Shao Kahn's true bloodlust had awakened for the first time, "No, Jerrod. The only ones who'll die out there will be the Zaterrans."

Jerrod felt two strong emotions at this moment. One was powerful sorrow, it was clear he lost a good friend this day. The other he felt was great fear of the monster that had been unleashed upon the realms, "Shao please listen to reason! This Zaterra invasion will be the end of you!"

"No," Shao replied with his ego starting to shine through, "it will be the real beginning of my reign. I can feel it, this is my destiny. It is almost as if the Elder Gods themselves are leading me to take Zaterra as my own."

"You're insane! The Elder Gods would not approve of merging any realm! You are no crusader of the gods, you're a delusional fool!"

Shao Kahn cackled at his insults, "You have the gall to call me a delusional fool? You're the one who thinks a realm can be led by peace alone. One of these days, your realm will fall. It will all be because all you ever thought to have protecting you and your realm are the emerald guards."

Jerrod crossed his arms, "I don't take thinly veiled threats to my people lightly, Shao."

Shao Kahn pointed to the exit. In what would later become a rare showing from him, Shao gave Jerrod mercy, "Be gone, then."

Jerrod left in a hurry. In an oversight on his part, Jerrod thought that Shao would surely die at the hands of the Zaterran army, which is why he chose not to prepare his emerald guards for what was to come. Hindsight tells us now that that's a bad idea. You must remember however that back such a long time ago, it could only be assumed Shao would die. A single man taking on a whole army was nearly unheard of, especially some new guy that most of the other realms didn't know the name of.

After Jerrod exited the throne room, Shao awoke from the dream. He was still in the palace banquet room, the same place he had been for hours now. He looked out the window again, seeing the people still as merry as ever. He did not have an observation this time. He got up from his seat at the table and made his way to the throne room. It was a quiet day the whole way through, which was unheard of in his Edenia.

Yes, while the emperors of both realms were feeling stressed even in this peaceful time, Fujin wasn't so concerned. Still he went to the Elder Gods to speak with them in these not so troubling times.

"Onaga has been killed yet again," Fujin began, "and the Kamidogu have been destroyed with him. Nobody will ever use their power for evil again."

The Elder Gods were satisfied with this development. They all spoke in unison, "Yes, as we are aware. However there is a catch to your victory. Yes, the Kamidogu being destroyed has a great consequence. We created them to keep the realms in-check. Without their power, the universe will be thrown into a great imbalance."

Fujin grew nervous at their mention of a great imbalance, "What do you mean by a great imbalance?"

"The realms will fall into greater harm," one of them answered. Another one added to that, "The imbalance will cause the realms to grow out of control."

"I see," Fujin noted, "how do I prevent these imbalances?"

The Elder Gods looked to each other and then to Fujin. They all replied collectively, "There is no preventing the imbalances. The Kamidogu were the only things keeping the imbalances in check. Without them, there is nothing you can do."

Fujin was extremely frustrated by this, "Why didn't you tell me this before?! Why didn't you tell Shao Kahn?! You should have warned us, so that we could have prevented this!"

The Elder Gods were as emotionless as ever, "Do not blame us for what is your fault. You were the one who allowed them to fall to Onaga in the first place. And was it not you who chose not to keep a better eye on the Kamidogu during that very confrontation?"

Fujin's irritation grew further by them placing the blame all on him. Is this what Raiden had to deal with all the time? If so, it's a miracle that he did not turn to darkness sooner than he did. Fujin deeply sighed, "I realize my mistakes, but the Kamidogu were a flawed way to keep the realms in balance! It was only inevitable that they would fall into the wrong hands!"

"We realize that the Kamidogu were going to fall into the wrong hands eventually," the Elder Gods replied, "which is why we have a failsafe for all the realms."

"What do you mean a failsafe?"

The Elder Gods only gave him a vague reply, "The answer to your questions will come in time. Have faith, all will work out for us in the end."

Fujin couldn't even ask what they had meant by that, as they had sent him away before he could ask. He awoke from meditation, feeling confused from his conversation, "What could they possibly mean by all that?" He couldn't even ponder the question, as he felt a rumbling in the Sky Temple.

He gasped, "The Jinsei! This must be the imbalance that they had spoken of!" He made his way up to the Jinsei Chamber, to see a shocking sight. The Jinsei was rumbling and shaking violently. He could see a shadowy figure standing in the blinding light of Jinsei.

"I don't know who you are, but if you don't step away from the Jinsei I will be forced to use lethal force," Fujin threatened, stepping closer to the shadowy figure.

The figure turned around, its eyes glowing white, "I don't think you'll want to do that."

Fujin stepped ever so slightly closer, "I mean it! Whatever you plan to do to it won't work while I stand guard."

"I plan to do nothing with it," the figure replied in a calm manner. Whoever this was, it was approaching Fujin with his hand out, "This is no time for fighting, old friend."

Fujin's eyes went wide when he could finally make out who it was he saw. He gasped and said under his breath, "Raiden…?"


	17. Raiden's Revelations

Raiden smiled back at his fellow god like a one would smile at a sibling they had not seen in a long time, "That's right, Fujin."

"You…you're back," is all that Fujin could think to say. He was so overwhelmed by seeing the thunder god back to his regular self. He thought that he may've been gone for good.

Raiden approached Fujin with open arms, "I know you've had quite the burden to carry, Fujin. Allow me to lift it off of you."

Fujin didn't answer the way Raiden expected, "I can't let you be this realm's sole guardian, Raiden. I now know how much you've had to deal with. How did you do it all those years alone?"

"You answered your own question," Raiden told him with the slightest hint of regret in his voice, "My role as Earthrealm's guardian has many tolls. It's a major responsibility, one that almost slipped out of my hands. I don't want anybody else to go through the same thing I have."

Fujin refused to step down from his role in spite of the thunder god's warnings, "I know what it can cost, but I won't just let everything go back to the way it was before. I might be more inexperienced than you still even you must admit I did a rather well in your absence."

Raiden agreed with his compatriot, "There is no doubt about that, you did better than I thought. There's something you don't understand, though…something bigger than Onaga is coming. Something you aren't prepared for. Not even I could have anticipated it."

The wind god questioned what he was unprepared for, "What could that be? Is it the imbalances? I'm well aware of those, the Elder Gods told me."

"The imbalances are only the catalyst," Raiden cautioned, "what you don't know is that Delia's predictions so many years ago are coming to fruition. Armageddon is coming."

Fujin paused for a moment. He turned back to his fellow god, "What did you just say…?"

Raiden continued the warnings, "All of the work I did 20 years ago was entirely pointless is what I'm saying! All those sacrifices were for nothing!"

The wind god didn't know how to take this. Was Raiden truly right? Could it be that the prophecies were true? Or was this just the babbling of a madman? Perhaps Raiden did not come back in the way that was intended. "Are you okay," Fujin asked him, "you seem to be talking nonsense. Perhaps you're disoriented from the regeneration process."

Raiden grabbed his friend's shoulders. It was the most desperate that Fujin had ever seen him, "Fujin please! You've got to listen to me!" Suddenly the entire Sky Temple was rattled by the Jinsei, which was stirring around violently.

"The incursions have already begun," Raiden said under his breath, "it might be too late to even stop it."

The Sky Temple's shaking was so powerful the ceiling began to collapse. Raiden only narrowly avoided becoming crushed beneath a chunk of it by diving out of the way. Fujin stroked his chin curiously, "There must be some way to fix this. Perhaps if new artifacts were forged, then maybe the realms would be balanced again."

"A wise idea," Raiden concurred, "we'll have to see the Elder Gods about it."

Fujin sighed deeply, "I doubt they'd help us like that. We'll have to find a way to do it without them. We don't know anybody that could possibly construct something like that."

"I think I do," Raiden began, "the fallen Elder God Shinnok. He created the amulet…perhaps he can create something like the Kamidogu. I was the one who put him in a catatonic state, I'm sure I could take him out of it long enough to help us."

"Just why would he help us," Fujin asked curiously. He had a point, why would Shinnok help the ones who imprisoned him? The only way he might say yes is if he was promised freedom but to give him freedom would surely cause more problems than it would solve.

Raiden hadn't considered that, "Bringing Shinnok back isn't the way to do it, no. If worse comes to worse, I'm sure we could stop him again. It's a last resort, though. There must be another way."

The only problem is that they had no idea where to start when it came to making something like the Kamidogu. They had best learn quick as the imbalances would only grow worse as time went on.

Back in Outworld, Kotal Kahn arrived in Li Mei's village. It was a sleepy little town down by the shore, not much to describe. Their accommodations were small straw and stone built huts and wooden cabins. It was certainly a step down from the Outworld fortress, but it was something Kotal could live with.

He walked into the village, seeing the peaceful civilians packing into their homes for the night. It was in the center of the small town that he saw Li Mei waiting for him. She waved, "Welcome to your temporary home, Kotal."

"It's not what I'm used to," Kotal admitted, "but it's all I've got. I must thank you for letting me stay here for the next couple nights. It's very kind of you."

She waved her hand in a dismissive fashion, "Considering what you did for my village, it's only fair. I still owe you far more for what you did."

Kotal brushed it off as nothing, "Oh please, I am your leader. It's my job to make sure you're all happy. I don't ask for anything in return."

She smiled at that, "Outworld really did need a ruler like you, Kotal." She then motioned to a nearby cottage, "This is where you'll be staying. It's not much, but it's the best we've got."

Kotal didn't seem to mind anyway, "It suits me just fine. After all that has gone on in this week, I could use a good rest."

She started walking away at that, "If you need anything, feel free to ask."

Kotal advanced towards the cabin's entrance and opened the door. He walked inside, lying down on the bed. He thought to himself, "I could get used to this. This…this is nice." He yawned and stretched, quickly falling asleep.

Much like Shao Kahn's, Kotal's rest would not be a peaceful one. In his dream, he was in an empty white void. He cautiously walked around the vast emptiness, thinking he was entirely alone. He was wrong, as in the distance he saw a dark figure standing before him. He squinted, trying to make out what it was.

To his surprise, he saw the shape of the Dragon King. The shadowy apparition came closer. Its voice but a whisper when it beckoned to him, "Come to me."

Kotal rubbed his eyes for a second and when he could see again he saw not the shape of Onaga, but the form of Shao Kahn. Again the figure beckoned, "Come closer."

He refused to. The shadowy figure instead chose to come to him, this time taking the form of Shang Tsung. It called out to him for a third time with an offer, "I can give you anything you could possibly want."

Kotal hesitated, backing away slowly. The figure then started to chase after him, choosing to take the form of Shinnok. At this point, Kotal was running. He had no idea what this thing was, he had no idea where he was, and he was even a little frightened. He stopped when he saw whatever it was was no longer behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the nightmare was over.

To his dismay, the figure reappeared directly in front of him. The look it took on was Kotal himself. They copied each other's movements. It was like looking into a mirror. Kotal backed away from this mysterious lifeform, "Who are you?! What do you want from me?!"

The figure held out its hand, "Don't be so frightened, I want the same thing you do. I want to bring peace to Outworld, along with all other realms."

The Osh-Tekk doubted the honesty of whatever it was he was talking to, "Do you really think I'm that gullible? I would never believe lies so flimsy."

The shadow crept around behind Kotal. It placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his head. It used its long winding fingers pull Kotal's eyelids open, "I'm allowing you the chance to truly see. How could you even think of rejecting such a chance?"

Kotal pushed the shadow off of him, "I stand by my words! I refuse to bow before something like you!"

"You can't escape my influence," the shadowy figure warned, "I'm what you'll be in due time! No being ever escapes my control. I am everywhere, I am everything…you'll fall, just as those before you have."

Kotal didn't have the chance to ponder those words, as he awoke when smoke creeped in through his room. He hurriedly jumped out of bed, hearing the crackling of embers just outside his one room cabin. When he saw outside, he could see that the entire village was on fire!

To see what the commotion was, Kotal ran out of the cottage. Standing in the middle of the flames was a familiar sight, Triborg. Triborg grabbed one of the running villagers by the neck, "Tell me where Kotal Kahn is!"

The lowly peasant begged for her life, "Please don't kill me! I've got two kids back at home."

The unfeeling cybernetic husk held a blade up to her neck, "I didn't ask about your children. Now tell me, where is Kotal Kahn?"

Kotal stood defiantly against the psychotic cyborg, "You have no reason to harm these people, Triborg! It's me you want."

Triborg viciously slew his hostage anyway by forcing the blade through her neck, "These people are your people. By hurting them I am hurting you."

The cybernetic ninja was right, Kotal cared for his citizens. To see one die like that hurt him, but he couldn't do anything. Triborg had the right idea by attacking at night, as it made Kotal weaker than he was in the day. He had just one question, "Why do you want me, it wasn't I alone who put an end to your master!"

"A fair point," Triborg admitted, "I could go after any of them, but I've got allies in this realm now." Out from the shadows, two Seidan guards jumped out with their weapons at their side. Triborg motioned to them, "When you knocked me out of your fortress, I landed in Lei Chen. At first, they were hostile towards a newcomer like me. However they were soon fascinated by my cybernetics. They saw great potential, what better way to have order than being able to program your citizens and your guards?"

Kotal was baffled to see this newfound alliance take form, "You'd be taking away what little freewill they already have. I know Seido's council can be overly controlling, but this is taking it to a new level!"

Triborg laughed at his talk of freewill, "Who cares about freewill when you can program your citizens into thinking they're happy? They would swiftly crush the rebellion by doing this!"

"Well the matters of Seido aren't concerning to my realm," Kotal acknowledged, "but that still leaves the question of why you want to kill me!"

Triborg didn't really have an answer, "Why not?" The cyborg slid towards Kotal, throwing him in the air and hitting him with a missile right in the stomach. Kotal then landed into the hands of the Seidans. Li Mei snuck up from the Seidans from behind, snapping their necks in utter silence. She grabbed Kotal's hand. Before he could say a word, she shushed him. In spite of her efforts to be silent, she was noticed by Triborg, "Where do you think you're going?"

Li Mei turned her attention towards the sadistic cyborg, "I was leaving. But if you want a fight, I'll give you one."

Kotal begged for her not to do it, "Wait Li Mei, you don't know what he's capable of!" She didn't listen. Her devotion to the village overcame all sensibilities. She attempted to attack Triborg by way of a strong punch, yet it was ineffective. Triborg grabbed her fist and twisted her wrist.

He mocked her efforts, "Your people screamed in sheer agony when I burned their village. I hope you'll do the same too."

Feeling desperate, Kotal slit his chest as a blood offering. Without the sun to invigorate him, he had little choice. His power returned in an instant. Using the newfound strength, he rammed into Triborg, knocking the cybernetic psychopath onto the ground. Kotal stomped onto his chest, "I never did trust Earthrealm's technology."

Triborg grabbed Kotal by the ankle and froze it, "Perhaps if you had, I'd be on your side."

"I'd never trust someone as treacherous as you," Kotal said with disgust, "your lack of loyalty makes you a poor ally." Out of nowhere, Kotal was tossed his Macuahuitl. He caught the massive weapon with one hand.

Triborg was puzzled by this turn of events. Where he could have gotten that from? It didn't matter, as Kotal proceeded to beat the Tekunin within an inch of his life. Each hit with such an over-the-top weapon was more painful than the last. It got to the point that Triborg chose not to fight, but rather escape by slipping away via teleportation.

Kotal confidently smirked at the cyborg's defeat, "I have to thank you, Syzoth. Were it not for you, I might have been killed by that horrible machine."

Reptile dropped his invisibility, "You're welcome. I had a feeling a would-be asssasssin might ssshow up."

"Yes, but what of Li-Mei," Kotal asked, feeling concerned over her

Reptile kneeled down, feeling her wrist for a pulse, "Ssshe'll be fine her heart isss ssstill beating."

"But her village won't be," Kotal sadly remarked, knowing that there were plenty of casualties in Triborg's rampage, "have our construction crew get to work here."

"But your fortresss," Reptile reminded him, "if they ssstart working on rebuilding Li-Mei'sss village, then that means that there will be further delaysss on the fortresss."

Kotal Kahn cared little about his home at this point, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, Syzoth."

Reptile humbly bowed, "Of courssse. I will inform the construction team right away." Reptile vanished after that, leaving Kotal to contemplate the burning village. If Triborg's talks of aligning with the Seidan order were true, that'd mean that Outworld had made a new enemy this day.

Speaking of new alliances, Shao Kahn was in the middle of a meeting with Darrius.

The two of them were discussing Seido's plans on assassinating Shao. The rebellious leader had an offer for Shao, "What do you say, Kahn? We have a common enemy, we could destroy them together."

"I have more concerning issues than destroying the realm of Order," Shao replied, "They are your problem, not mine. It was considerate of you to warn me of their assassination, however."

Darrius laughed at Shao's rejection, "I hope you're joking. I didn't come here to take no for an answer. At least give me some form of compensation."

"You want compensation," Shao asked sarcastically, "your compensation is the fact that I have not killed you where you stand for asking so much of me!"

Darrius did not take kindly to Shao's lack of reward to say the least, "Listen here, I'm not afraid of you. I'm not going anywhere without something to help me take down Hotaru and his men." Just to drive the point home, Darrius' wrist blades popped out, "If you deny me again, we're gonna have problems."

Shao Kahn's guards raised their weapons at Darrius, defending their lord and master. Shao Kahn motioned for them to lower them, "I don't know whether to call it foolish or brave to raise your pitiful knives at me. Either way, I can respect such an attitude. At the same time, I don't take kindly to threats."

Darrius didn't seem to even care about Shao's anger, "That a fact?"

"You're lucky I'm feeling merciful today," Shao said, "perhaps we can work out a deal after all. Should Orderrealm actually send an assassin, I will gladly help you destroy them. Should they retreat? Then I won't, simple as that."

While it wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, Darrius still accepted Shao's proposition, "Works for me. Let me know when you're ready."

Shao sent the rebellion's leader away now that the deal was settled, "Be gone before I change my mind."

Darrius obliged, leaving right through the window. Shao got up from his throne, "I'm going to the dungeon. Keep an eye out for spies." The guards saluted silently.

Shao made his way to the dungeon to see his former servant, Ermac. Ermac was chained to the wall, hanging his head in sorrow. He looked up to see Shao approaching. He did not say a word.

"It's not too late," Shao said to him, "If you pledge undying allegiance to me, you won't have to rot down here."

The construct spat at his former master's feet, "We'd rather rot then serve you. You made us your tool, you used us. We are bound by nobody now."

Shao growled at him, "You naïve fool, can't you see Jade and Kitana are playing you! You're not as free as you might think. They only want you to believe that. If they truly wanted to help you, they'd have already broken you out of here."

"The reason they have not come is because they know you'll have them executed on sight," Ermac replied.

The king sighed in a mix of genuine sorrow and the ever present feeling of wrath, "You are aware of what the penalty of denying me is, don't you?"

"You'll send us to the arena," Ermac answered, "we're very aware. If we must die to show the world you're still a monster, so be it."

At this point Shao felt absolutely no sympathy for his creation. Whatever regret he might've felt before was replaced with even more ire, "You think the people will see you as a martyr? Do you really believe your death might kickstart a revolution?"

"We're counting on it," Ermac simply said.

Shao raised his hand as if he was about to strike Ermac, but lowered it, "Very well. I'll see you in the arena at dawn. Moloch will enjoy tearing the flesh from your bone."

He soon departed after that threat. Ermac lowered his head again. He wasn't thinking about the inevitable kombat, but rather he was thinking about what he did while serving under Shao. Was it really his fault, though? He was an unwitting pawn he was not aware of right and wrong when he was first created. However he knew that didn't excuse when he left Kotal's forces to join Shao again almost instantaneously. He felt he was compelled to, but why? Was it just because Shao created him? It didn't matter in the end, as that decision was in the past now. All he could do now was to ensure a better future and that was a future without Shao Kahn as ruler of Edenia. But yet, there was still conflict. He knew killing Shao Kahn wasn't the answer. He'd find a way back to the realm of the living just like he always does. Perhaps there could be an alternative?

If there was, he'd have to think of it quick. Seeing as how he only had the rest of that night to consider his options, he had better come up with a solution quickly. If he didn't then he would die with much regret, knowing he lived only to serve Shao. With that in mind, he knew he had to find a way. There must have been one.

While Ermac considered what could be done about his master, deep within the Netherrealm Noob returned to much fanfare. The demons, revenants, the Brotherhood, and many other of the denizens of the realm called out to him as he marched back to his temple. To him, he was their savior, the one who'd free them from this eternal Hell. Shinnok failed, Quan-Chi failed, but Noob? He wouldn't.

He marched into his temple to be met with a familiar face on her knees. When he saw her he only uttered her name with a grin, "Sareena."

Sareena looked up to him with tired eyes, "I can't believe your men found me."

"Don't be so surprised," Noob boasted, "you used to work with the Brotherhood you should know how efficient we are."

Her weary expression only grew worse when he mentioned the Brotherhood. She quickly changed the subject, "You're just like Quan-Chi, a power hungry fool. I used to respect you so much."

He turned his back on her and started to rant, "You think this is about power? This was never about power, this is about something greater! Shinnok, Quan-Chi, both of them had the same problem! They were narrow minded, but me? I'm different, I don't seek power."

"Then what do you seek? Is it me?"

He silently chuckled, "You? Oh Sareena, while at first I thought you and I could have been something great, you rejected my offer. I see you as nothing but an asset now. It's almost a shame." He seemed vulnerable at this moment. Using this opening, Sareena stabbed him in the back.

She gloated, "Gotcha." However, Noob turned his head 180 degrees, looking back at her with his eyes widened into a psychotic glare.

"Surprise" he crazily exclaimed as he yanked the knife out from his spine. Sareena was taken aback, "But…but how? What are you?!"

He grabbed her by the wrists, "Why don't you stick around and find out?" The hole in his back sealed itself up, healing instantaneously. Sareena nearly screamed, but she held her fear within. Noob clearly delighted in her fear. He put her in a chokehold, keeping a good grip to make sure she wouldn't escape. He started dragging her across the temple.

"Where are you taking me," she demanded to know.

"I'm taking you to the place where I was reborn."

The two of them went into a secret chamber within the temple that was hidden beneath the stairwell that led to the sacrificial altar. Within this chamber was a pool of black ooze, bubbling constantly. Sareena took a look at the pool of goop and nearly gagged, "What is that stuff?!"

"It's what I'm made of," Noob answered, "this liquid you see before you is what I was reborn from. It is perhaps Quan-Chi's greatest creation, aside from myself of course. While other corruption methods only taint the outside of a person, such as what the Netherrealm Kamidogu did, this is different. This liquid corrupts not only the person's body, but it also corrupts their very essence."

The demoness derided this supposed all powerful liquid, "Then how come Quan-Chi didn't use it to corrupt the other revenants?"

Noob answered, "Even he was not blind to how dangerous this liquid could be. He feared that whatever was created from here could supersede him. As you can see, he was right."

"What's it even made out of?"

"The liquid is the personification of evil itself," Noob explained, "it is made from the darkest desires of a person. It could bring out the worst of even the purest being. As long as there is evil in the world, the ooze will flow and I will be able to use its resources to regenerate myself. I am functionally immortal, it's how I survived the Soulnado and it's why Quan-Chi had me removed from the Brotherhood. He didn't want me to take his place."

He pushed her ever so closely to the pool of black ooze, but stopped when she was just at the edge, "Of course, I'm not going to waste such a precious resource on you. Not like this." Instead he had other things in mind for her. He chose to instead shackle her above the bubbling liquid, dangling ever so close to it.

She begged for him to let her down, "Bi-Han please! Just let me down, I know you're better than this. You guided me out of the darkness let me do the same for you."

He growled at the mention of that name, "Don't call me that! That man died years ago! And I'm better for it. Where I was once a mere pawn for the Lin Kuei, I am now the chess master. "

"That's not true," she said to him while she teared up, "you were always more to me, and you were more to your brother. He loved you…and I loved you too."

He paused when she said that. Almost as if there was a hint of the man he once was in him. She almost broke through to him but he still refused, "That's too bad. Enjoy your eternal imprisonment."

He shut the chamber door behind him, uncaring of Sareena's plight. He returned to the main corridor of the temple, seeing a familiar face, "Ahhh Daegon, what brings you to me this day?"

"Enough with the pleasantries," Daegon said to him, "the Kamidogu have been destroyed."

Noob sighed, "As I've heard."

Daegon rubbed his temples in frustration, "With those gone, it's only a matter of time before my brother is reawakened. You were supposed to retrieve them for me before this happened!"

Noob seemingly agreed, "I can understand your frustration. But maybe you're looking at this the wrong way, don't you think?"

Daegon scratched his head, "I don't see what you mean."

"Blaze," Noob began to explain, "If we can find him before Armageddon and kill him at the Pyramid of Argus, then you could take the power he holds."

Daegon considered this plan. He went along with it, "You're right, but finding Blaze will be easier said than done. He could be within any of the realms."

"That's where the Brotherhood and Red Dragon come in. We both have amassable armies, so we might as well put them to good use right? With our numbers, there's no place Blaze could be hiding that we won't find him."

Daegon smirked deviously, "You're right, perhaps the Kamidogu being destroyed is just what we needed. I've been waiting so many eons to see my last remaining family…"

* * *

 _If you think things are getting crazy now, wait until you see the next chapter!_


	18. Exiled

Come the crack of dawn, the Edenian colosseum was already bustling with activity. The people were anxious to see the ultimate fate of Shao Kahn's once loyal minion. This was the day of Ermac's reckoning. Shao Kahn sat upon the arena's throne, high above the central fighting area. Standing beside him was his new second in command, Rain.

Rain turned to his leader, "I never did take sympathy with our prisoners, but I must admit that sending your once trusted advisor to die against Moloch so soon seems harsh."

"I am nothing if not harsh," Shao admitted, "You saw how he defied me in front of my people. If I let him get off easy, what's to stop the others from doing the same? I will crush him before he can make all of my hard work pointless. I was dethroned once I will not let it happen again."

The two opposing gates opened. Ermac walked out, blinded by the morning sun. He shielded his eyes as the people cheered his entrance. On the other side, Moloch stomped out on all fours. Shao Kahn started the fight off, "We are gathered here today to see what happens to traitors of the kingdom. Let the Kombat begin!"

Moloch charged towards Ermac. The construct didn't do anything as Moloch grabbed him by his head and slammed him repeatedly against the floor. He didn't fight, he didn't flinch, and he was unmoving. In response to his pacifism the audience booed in displeasure. Sitting in the seats were a disguised Kitana and Jade. Jade wanted to rush out and save him, "We need to help him, he's getting destroyed down there!"

"Keep calm, Jade. We must time this right. If you want to save your friend, we need to wait this out."

Jade took a deep breath in and out. It was clear how concerned she was for Ermac, "I know, I know but…"

Kitana comfortingly placed a hand on her shoulder, "Have faith in me. I know what I'm doing."

"You're right," Jade agreed, "when you're right, you're right. I'm just so worried about him he's hardly had a chance to really live life."

Kitana spoke to Jade in a calm manner, "I know. Don't worry we'll give him that chance. _You'll_ give him the chance."

Jade nodded with a smile, "Thanks Kitana."

Back in the arena, Moloch was wailing on Ermac with his ball and chain. The construct still did not do a single thing to fight back. That was until he threw Moloch across the arena, directly back through the gate. He shut it using his telekinesis. He turned up to Shao Kahn, "We refuse to fight!"

Shao Kahn growled at Ermac, "You can't refuse, you're a prisoner! You have no rights!"

Ermac stood his ground against his former master, "We won't fight that thing. There's only one way we'll fight."

"I will make you fight," Shao said to his creation, "even if I must come down there and fight you myself."

Ermac nodded, "That's exactly what we want. Shao Kahn, we challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"

Shao cracked his knuckles in preparation, "Very well, then. I'll be your executioner today!" Shao Kahn jumped up from his chair and landed directly into the kombat zone. He motioned to Ermac and then to himself, taunting him, "Come on! You think you can take me?!"

Ermac ran towards Shao and threw a punch. Shao grabbed Ermac's fist and twisted his arm, "Is that all you've got?! You're pathetic!" Ermac reeled back in pain, but refused to stand down. He shoved Shao Kahn away with a telekinetic push and kicked him right in his chest. Shao fell to the ground, yet didn't stay grounded for very long. He pulled himself back up and threw a green spear right into Ermac's chest. Ermac rose a shield up, deflecting the spear back into Shao Kahn's chest. Shao was hardly affected by the attack.

The now angry king ran towards Ermac with such speed and ferocity it actually surprised him. Ermac tried blocking the incoming attack. Shao responded by grabbing him and picking him up off the ground. Ermac struggled in his creator's mighty grip. Nothing he could do would deter Shao. Shao slammed him onto the ground. The sounds of Ermac's bones snapping and crunching rang throughout the arena. He attempted to get back up but was met back Shao Kahn stomping on his back, "If only you had remained loyal, then this whole situation could have been avoided!"

Ermac reached out towards the audience, but again Shao stomped on him. It felt like Shao drove his foot through him, but he didn't. He might as well have, though. The audience, who had once cheered on the fight, was now having second thoughts. Shao's brutality only grew worse. He picked Ermac up only to slam his head against Ermac's, "But now, you've made the greatest mistake of your life! Your traitorous efforts will be the death of you!"

The construct was clearly in no condition to fight, but his creator continued to fight anyway. Before he did he continued to brag, "But it won't only be the death of you, it'll be the death of your traitorous friends. Jade's going to suffer the same fate as you, as will Kitana. Maybe if you had given up, then I might've shown mercy, maybe…maybe. But now you'll never know! I'm going to finish you!"

He raised his fist high in the air, yet felt himself unable to deliver the finishing blow. Was this the interference of the Elder Gods? He sure blamed it on them, "You accursed Elder Gods! Let me finish him!"

Ermac looked up to Shao, "It's…not the Elder Gods. We cannot sense their presence in you."

"Then your telekinetic powers won't stop me, I'll kill you!"

"It's not our powers," Ermac denied, "you can't finish us. We're your greatest creation, you know it. You won't admit it, but you'd hate to kill us."

Shao growled in frustration, picking Ermac up from the ground, "You weak pathetic fool! I feel no sympathy for traitors!" When he picked Ermac up, the audience began to boo at him. He dropped his creation, looking all around himself. He sneered at them, "You hypocrites, isn't this what you wanted?!"

At this pointed, Kitana and Jade dropped down from their seats. Shao turned to them, his anger only growing, "You! You're the ones making them betray me!"

Kitana shook her head, "You think we're behind this? You're the reason they're booing, not us."

Shao stomped towards them, each step shaking the ground beneath him. He threatened them, "If I cannot kill Ermac, then I will gladly take your lives instead!"

Yet he was stopped. This time it _was_ Ermac preventing him from moving. Using all of his remaining strength, Ermac pulled Shao Kahn back to him, "You will not hurt them!"

Shao's guards flooded into the arena, ready to protect their master. That was until Jade raised a question, "Wait! Can't you all see? Ermac was more loyal than any of you, but look at him now. What's to stop Shao from doing the same to you all?"

The guards paused, thinking about it. Shao growled at the guards, "If you do not help me, I will have you all executed!"

Kitana gave them an offer, "You don't have to live in fear. Drop your weapons, we won't hurt you."

The guards obliged, dropping their weapons. Shao yelled at them, "You miserable wretches, when I get free I'm going to personally kill you all!"

Kitana pulled out her fan blades, "No, no you won't." She was ready to stab Shao until Ermac cried out, "Don't!"

"Why not?"

Ermac explained his reasoning, "If you kill him, he'll come back. He'll always come back. There's a better way than this."

Jade pulled Ermac back up, wrapping his arm around her, "You're not feeling well. There's no other answer, not for someone like him."

Ermac looked to Jade with his bruised eyes, "You wanted us to make our own decisions…this is our decision. If you trust us, you'll let us do this. Please."

"I know what I said," she admitted, "and I'm keeping true to it. Kitana, don't!"

Kitana held her head, "I must be going crazy! Do you not see who this is?! He's ruined a great number of lives! He's killed so many, he'll never stop! Not until we put an end to his rampage! Killing him is the only way!"

"We know what he's taken from you," Ermac sympathized, "he's taken a lot from many people, but killing him will just repeat the cycle. Deep down in your heart, you know he'll come back. When he does come back? He'll just take more from you."

Kitana crumbled, the need for revenge in her was growing stronger, "There's nothing left he can take from me! You know he deserves this! It's not fair to just let him go away without punishment!"

Jade reached out to her friend, "You know that's not true. You've still got me, Kitana."

"And now you've got us," Ermac added, "Were it possible, we'd be doing much worse to him but you know we can't. He must learn, or else nothing changes."

Kitana finally stepped down, "Fine. Do with him what you will."

Ermac pulled Shao closer to him, "Shao Kahn, you are _exiled_ from the Edenian kingdom! And just to make sure you can't do anything about it…" Ermac sucked away most of Shao Kahn's power, leaving him with just enough to survive in the exile and nothing more.

Shao fell on his hands and knees, his helmet falling to the ground. He looked up to his creation, "I'll regain my power. And when I do, I'll be back."

"We're counting on it," Ermac replied, "take him away to the Edenian bog."

Shao got up from the ground. Two guards grabbed him. If he were at full power, he would have been able to easily break free. However, he found himself unable to. Ermac really did absorb his strength. The guards dragged him away, as he yelled threats towards them all.

Kitana looked at him with a smug smirk on her face. She waved him goodbye, "You know what? That _was_ better than killing him. What do we do now, though?"

Ermac, rejuvenated by Shao Kahn's strength, found that he was able to stand on his own, "Why don't you tell us, Queen Kitana?"

Kitana looked over to him, "Queen…?"

Jade gave confirmation, "That's right. We're now under _your_ service."

"I'm queen of Edenia," Kitana said to herself, "I've dreamed of this day for so long." The audience cheered her on as their new leader. She could hardly contain herself, "I…I don't know what we should do." She had no words for the joy she felt at this moment.

Rain walked up to her, "I can say that I _absolutely_ agree with this monumental decision. I bet you're looking for a king, huh? I _am_ the rightful prince after all."

"You'll be doing lucky if I don't throw you and Tanya into the dungeon," Kitana warned, "Be on your best behavior."

Jade couldn't help but wonder what Ermac was hoping to achieve by exiling Shao Kahn. She asked him, "Why did you send Shao Kahn to exile anyhow? Why not just to the dungeon?"

"He's never been in the outside world without power," Ermac answered, "He's always had a life of privilege. Before he was emperor, he was the second-in-command, and before that he was Outworld's protector, similar to Argus and Raiden."

"How do you know that?"

Ermac answered, "We have knowledge of many things, thanks to the souls held within us. There was a point in time where Shao played the role of protector."

She got curious, "What changed that?"

"We don't know," Ermac replied, "it truly is a mystery. One that only Shao Kahn himself would know."

As they conversed what was next for Edenia, Shao was taken to the Edenian swamp. In a way, there is where his conquest began. This is where he truly took control of what was left of Edenia. It's almost ironic, seeing as how it's where his conquest will seemingly end.

The guards tossed him into the woods and left promptly. Shao observed his surroundings, seeing nothing but trees, bushes, and other plant life as far as the eye could see. There was only one thing on his mind right now and that was revenge.

He was stripped of everything, his power, his throne, and the admiration he worked so hard for. All that was left was his ever present pride, but even that was damaged. He was shamed by his defeat, humiliated even. Shao wasn't used to losing, he always won. He could only recall just once when he truly lost before, but even then he recovered. He swore he'd recover from this again.

To him everyone else was wrong, not him. He knows what's best, not them. Who were they to him? He's the Elder Gods' champion, he was the slayer of the Dragon King, and he was the one who rebuilt Edenia from the ground up. Killing his once most trusted advisor might have been harsh, but was it really enough for the people to turn against him so instantaneously?

It didn't matter, he'd die. They all would. All traitors to him would get what they deserved. However even he knew that before revenge could come, he'd have to rebuild. He'd have to get his strength back and he'd have to find shelter.

He would find said shelter in the form of a secluded cave just near the lake in the center of the swamp. He entered inside, noting how cold it was. He rubbed his hands together for heat. No matter what he tried, he could not stave off the cold. He walked out from the cave, looking for fire wood. He grabbed some sticks from the ground and two rocks he could strike together. He walked back into the cave, throwing the sticks on the ground.

He struck the rocks together, causing a spark. The spark landed on the sticks, leading to fire. He huddled closely to the fire, still shivering. "I'll rebuild," he said to himself, "they'll all pay for their treachery."

To his surprise he heard a voice call out to him, "Hello?"

Shao was turned to where the voice came from, which was deeper into the blackness of the cave, "Who goes there?"

Out from the shadows, a snake-like dragon slithered out from the shadows, "I am Orin."

Shao backed away from the hulking beast, "A dragon…?"

"Do not be alarmed," Orin said to him, "I mean no harm. Who are you?"

Shao Kahn was near unrecognizable without his iconic helmet. Without it, he was just another drifter. Shao introduced himself, "I have no name, not anymore. I'm a vagabond, just coming through." He felt embarrassed to even use his name. The name that once struck fear into the hearts of many was now one synonymous with defeat.

Orin nodded, "I see. Make yourself at home then, I insist."

"That's what I was planning," Shao replied, "but why are you in this cave?"

The dragon answered accordingly, "I've been here for years. Even when this realm was merged, I was always here. I'm a guardian, protecting something important until the time comes."

Shao became curious, "Is that so? What do you guard? Is it something of great power?"

Orin dodged the question, "Errrr, I can't tell you I'm afraid. You wouldn't care to listen anyhow, it's a long story."

"You're right, I wouldn't," Shao bluntly replied, "I'm here only for shelter."

Orin swooped down, his eyes meeting with Shao's. He stared at him as he asked, "Now, why are you here? It's been quite a while since anyone has been seen here. Not since Shao Kahn wiped out Tanya's guerilla forces…"

Shao remained silent. Orin prodded on further, "Were you exiled by Kahn himself?"

The former emperor sneered at the dragon, "You refused to answer my question so I refuse to answer yours."

"Fair enough," Orin admitted, "I shouldn't be doing this, but it seems you'll get nowhere in this realm. I'll gladly take you to another should you so wish."

Shao rejected his offer, "You expect me to run like a coward?! I refuse to back down those traitors. I will see to it that I have their heads!" Revenge was still all that was on Shao's mind. It was all that was ever on his mind. When he first came back it was revenge against Raiden and Liu Kang, then it was revenge against Onaga, and now the target of his wrath was Ermac.

Orin said to him, "You cannot hope to take on an entire empire like his on your own, stranger."

He was right. While maybe he could have in the past, Shao couldn't now. Without his strength, he would hardly be able to take on a small set of guards, let alone an entire army. Luckily brute strength was not all Shao Kahn had he also had his brilliant strategic mind. This was a mind that needed rest, so he called it a night. He lied down upon the cold stone floor and fell asleep in an instant.

Orin felt some form of sympathy for this passing bystander, not knowing who he was. The lone dragon looked wistfully to the night sky, "It's been so long. Every passing minute, every passing day, every passing year…I must wonder when Caro and I will receive the signal."

Unfortunately the signal was the last thing on his brother's mind. Deep within the Red Dragon's central compound in the mountains of Outworld, Caro was a prisoner. Forever trapped behind a laser grid in their laboratory. The only thing he was used for was DNA so that the Red Dragon may attempt to make hybrids.

It wasn't often he had visitors, but it looks like today was going to be an exception. Daegon marched into the room. Caro looked down to him, "Daegon…?"

"Hello Caro," Daegon greeted, "I've got a proposition for you."

Caro was suspicious but asked, "Go on?"

Daegon continued, "I want to know if there's a way you can contact Blaze. If you contact him, then I'll set you free."

The red dragon considered his offer but knew there was no way he could take it. He answered, "There's no way I can contact him. I've tried doing so for years now, but he's never heard my pleas."

The Son of Argus didn't believe him, "What?! You're telling me that my parents gave Blaze a way to contact you but not the other way around? Leave it to Delia to be so incompetent."

"Delia is the last person I would call incompetent," Caro objected, "she was the wisest of us all."

Daegon chuckled, no he laughed when Caro said that. Then he said, "If she was so wise, then how come she used her sons as tools in some ancient prophecy! I was almost robbed of my life and Taven…Taven's still frozen in that rock."

"It's for the greater good," Caro tried to remind him but Daegon silenced him, "Don't give me that greater good speech, Caro. I was lied to, he was lied to, and who even knows if her insane visions had any truth to them? If they did, then who knows if Taven or I could stop Armageddon? What if it's someone else who stops it?"

Caro had nothing else to say. His captor was right, this plan was majorly flawed. Maybe it would have gone better if only Caro didn't awaken the second son so soon. Sadly it was too late to rectify past mistakes. What could have been otherwise, who knows? It didn't even matter, not like they could change the past. Daegon shook his head, "You're as useless to me as you were to them! I don't even need you for your DNA anymore as we've manufactured the perfect hybrids of dragon and human!"

In the doorway, a human-like creature limped out. However this creature was far from human. It had red scales for skin, it had a Glasgow smile across its face, and two prominent fangs stuck out from its mouth. This inhuman beast hissed at both of them. Caro couldn't believe his eyes, "Wha…what have you created?! That thing is an unnatural abomination!"

"Please," Daegon scoffed, "Don't act like freaks like this don't come by nature, just look at the Tarkata. I've only rushed the process and did it without interbreeding."

The hybrid gave out a high pitched screech, startling Caro immensely. Daegon motioned to the beast, "With this creature's enhanced sense of smell, we'll surely be able to find that fire elemental."

Caro knew he couldn't let Daegon unleash these abominations out into the world. If he had enough of them, then he might even have an untouchable army. For years, the dragon had many regrets. It was he who unleashed Daegon early, it was his DNA that allowed these hybrids to exist, and it was his face that was the symbol of the Red Dragon clan. For all this time, he made mistake after mistake. So before Daegon could make enough of these beasts, he knew he had to rectify for everything. He crashed his head against the ceiling, shaking the entire facility. The ceiling started to crumble above them. Daegon gasped, "What are you doing?!"

"I'm making up for lost time," Caro said, bashing his head into the ceiling again. Chunks of the mountain started crashing through. Daegon swiftly leapt out of the way of an incoming chunk of rock. The hybrid next to him was not so lucky, as it was crushed by said rock. Daegon pulled himself up from the floor and made his way towards the exit. Following behind him were the Red Dragon's scientists and soldiers. Daegon narrowly escaped with his life but a majority of his men were not so lucky. Only a handful of soldiers made it out before the entire compound was flooded with both the snow of the mountain and the crumbling facility.

Daegon stomped his foot. He stomped his foot in frustration, "All that progress! It's all gone!" He felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked behind he saw Noob Saibot, "Noob?! What are you doing here?"

Noob dodged his question, "That's unimportant. What is important is that I finally found a lead on Blaze. I know where he is."

"Where is he?"

Noob replied, "He's here in Outworld, I know it. He's somewhere in the Living Forest. As it turns out he was working for Onaga's cultists, guarding the egg until Goro took over. Now he just wanders aimlessly from what I hear, until he finds a way to remember what his original mission was."

Daegon held the bridge of his nose in disappointment, "The Brotherhood is going to have to go alone, as you can see my army's numbers are quite low."

"Yes, that's a shame," Noob said to feign sorrow, "Don't worry, we'll find him. There's no where he can run now."

Daegon did not say anything in response, he only grinned. Those two were not the only deadly alliance to the realms. Within Seido, the Seidan Guard was meeting with the leader of the Tekunin, Triborg.

The guards were fascinated by the ability to cyberize people. Hotaru shook hands with the cyborg leader, "I've been waiting to meet you."

"The feeling is mutual," Triborg replied, "but enough with the pleasantries, what do you want?"

Hotaru went straight to the point, "We think your ability to convert people into machines would be quite beneficial. We could finally have a realm of true order!"

The Tekunin clan leader liked this idea, "That can be arranged."

"How long will it take," the Seidan guardsman inquired.

"It won't take very long. Our efficiency is unmatched all we'll need is a day to build a cyberization chamber. Gather your masses soon you'll have an unmatched cyborg army!"

Hotaru shook his head, "We're not looking for an army, just an easier way to control the citizens. We want order, not a war."

The cybernetic wannabe tyrant was confused by this notion, "You want an easier way to control them? That's it?"

"Yes it is," Hotaru answered bluntly, "I know, I know it might seem drastic but as you said, it's the most efficient."

Triborg mocked Hotaru's plan while crossing his arms, "What a waste of resources! To give them the power being a cyborg uses but to not take advantage of it seems foolish to me."

"There will be a handsome reward for your assistance," Hotaru reminded him, "so even if it seems foolish to you, would you want to pass it up?"

Triborg relented, "We have a deal. Whatever you're promising had better be worth it." The two shook hands, sealing the deal.

Listening from afar was the cleric of chaos, Havik. He listened intently to their plan, "What's this?" He exaggeratedly crouched over and cupped his hand around his ear, "From what I'm hearing, it looks like that my greatest enemy is planning something most devious!"

The cleric rubbed his hands in excitement, "The cyberization process…it sounds so delicate maybe as delicate as the realms themselves, perhaps? One thing broken or out of place can destroy the balance." Havik would have smiled in anticipation if he had lips, "And I love throwing out the balance of anything. I think there's room in my schedule to ruin Hotaru's day."

The cleric snuck off after that, keeping his eye on the Tekunin and Seidan Guardsmen leaders. Only when their backs are turned, is when he would strike.

Back in Earthrealm, Fujin called Earthrealm's forces together at the Sky Temple. Those who showed up were the recently awakened Hanzo Hasashi, Sub-Zero, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Jax, Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda, and Kung Jin. The wind god greeted them, "I would like thank you all for showing up, I know it seemed like our problems were gone but I'm afraid our work isn't done yet."

Hanzo was the first to ask a question, "I know I've been gone for a long time, so I have to ask what did I miss? Did you kill Raiden?"

"Shao Kahn did," Fujin answered, "but in his wake, a greater threat arose. As the rest of us know, that was Onaga. Luckily, along with Kotal and Shao, we put aside our differences and defeated him for good."

"So what's the problem," Cassie asked, "I mean sure those little dagger things are destroyed, but is that so bad?"

Raiden walked out from his chambers and nodded, "It is very bad." The heroes responded to Raiden's entrance by taking defensive stances.

"I thought you said Shao Kahn killed him," Hanzo said while feeling confused.

Fujin motioned for them to lower their guard, "He did, but as gods we're immortal. He regenerated soon after death and he has a warning for all of us."

Raiden continued where his friend left off, "I know everyone here doesn't trust me now, nor can I blame you, but we have an important issue at hand. That issue is Armageddon. The Kamidogu provided the realms with stability. Without them, it has thrown everything into chaos."

"So uhhh…what does that mean," Johnny asked, "does that mean like the end of the world?"

Raiden confirmed his fears, "Yes, it does. While right now things seem relatively stable, take a look at the Jinsei Chamber to see the effects thus far."

The massive doorway to the Chamber opened wide, revealing the Jinsei erratically shaking and distorting without warning. Raiden sighed, "If we don't hurry, then the destruction of all the realms will come. I know…while I was in purgatory, I saw visions of the end." He showed his medallion, showing how cracked it was, "But there's still a chance. If we can somehow manufacture more Kamidogu, then maybe…just maybe we'll be able to save the world."

Jax laughed at said plan, "So you want us to somehow make things that not even someone like Quan-Chi could make? How do you want us to go about that?"

"There's only one thing I could think of," Raiden replied, "We go to Shinnok. His medallion possessed as much power as any individual Kamidogu—"

Jacqui interrupted him, "You want us to go to Shinnok?! You mean that guy who tried to kill us and invade our realm?! Are you nuts?"

Raiden tried calming her, "I know, I know which is why it's a last resort. For now, we'll have to think of a way to do it ourselves. But we must hurry we're running out of time."

"Why don't you just ask the Elder Gods," Takeda inquired, "they're the ones who originally made them, right? So surely they'd be willing to help."

Fujin shook his head, "I'm afraid not. If we could just ask them, we'd have done so a long time ago. They refuse to help, stubborn as they are."

Raiden gathered them all into a circle, "I know things seem impossible right now but never lose faith. As a team we can do anything together!" The group placed their hands into the center of the circle and raised them into the air with a cheer. Raiden smiled at their enthusiasm, "I'll contact all of you when we find a way to stop Armageddon. Until then, everyone clear out!" They all left, leaving only Fujin and Raiden.

Raiden stared at his medallion, noting that it had a new crack since he had last looked. He held his head between his hands, "This won't work I know it won't."

"Then why go through the trouble of getting them all together?"

Raiden turned back to his fellow god with desperation written all over his face, "I don't want them to know that I've lost faith, that _we've_ lost faith. If we do, then so do they. I want them to have hope, even if it won't work."

Fujin soon joined the thunder god in worrying, "It seems so worthless, doesn't it? But that's why we continue fighting anyway."

Raiden sighed deeply, "What a mess we've gotten ourselves into. Come along, Fujin. We have business in the Netherrealm."

"Why's that?"

"We need to go see Shinnok," Raiden answered, already regretful that it's come down to this.

 _See? What did I tell ya? I feel we've reached a real turning point in the story. Shao Kahn has been disgraced and exiled, the Brotherhood's mysterious agenda continues to make progress, and the end of the realms is ever impending. What's next I heard you ask? Things getting even worse, that's what. See you next time._


	19. Chaos Reigns

Raiden and Fujin departed to Netherrealm to meet with Noob Saibot so that he may allow them to see Shinnok.

They marched into the gothic cathedral-like temple, seeing Noob waiting for them on his throne. He folded his hands expectantly with a smug smirk growing beneath his mask, "Come for my help, mmm?"

"We seek an audience with Shinnok," Raiden answered, "we need his help."

Noob rested his head against his fist, "Was it not you who sent Shinnok's head to the previous rulers? Why would you need it again?"

Fujin explained, "The Kamidogu have been destroy and as an Elder God only he will know how we may rebuild them."

Noob did not laugh at their plight, he did not even chuckle. Rather he glanced at them with uncaring eyes, "This is my problem, how?"

Raiden answered, "With the Kamidogu destroyed, Armageddon is upon us. If the realms end, you'll be taken with them!"

Again Noob seemed rather careless at their warnings, "You seem to be missing my point, the realms ending isn't my problem, if anything I see it as a benefit."

Both of the gods went towards the doorway until Noob called back to them, "Now hold on a second, I've got one more thing to say to you."

Raiden turned back to the wraith, almost hopeful that he may have had a change of heart, "What?"

"You'll never prevent Armageddon," Noob mocked in a rather taunting tone.

The thunder god ran towards Noob in a fit of rage but Noob sank through the floor in an instant. He rose up again behind Raiden and put him in a chokehold. Fujin tried to come in to assist his friend yet Enenra popped up in front of him and blocked him.

Noob threw Raiden down against the ground, "You've failed Earthrealm!" Just to drive the point home, he snatched Raiden's medallion and smashed it in his hand. Noob released his opponent after that, "If only you had prevented my death at the hands of Scorpion. To think, maybe things would've gone differently if you had done your job."

Raiden growled at him, "You were the one who goaded him into fighting! It's not my fault you became what you are now!"

"But it is," Noob replied, "however I should thank you for that. My life before was meaningless, but now I have purpose."

Raiden tilted his head curiously, "Purpose…?"

Noob paused, "Perhaps I shouldn't tell you, that'd ruin the surprise."

"What surprise?!"

Noob's blank white eyes turned into a crazed wide eyed look, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." Raiden shot a bolt of lightning at him, noting his insanity left him open. The bolt struck, sending Noob into the stone wall of the temple. Raiden approached him and aimed his hand at him, "There won't be any surprises."

Enenra tackled the thunder god to the ground and smashed his head against the floor. Fujin blew Enenra away with the wind. The corrupted Lin Kuei fell onto his back. Noob rose up and laughed, "There are many surprises left! In fact, you've given me a great idea!"

Raiden and Fujin tried attacking him together but suddenly they were teleported out from the corridor and sent outside. Noob waved at them from the doorway just before it shut by itself. Raiden slammed his fists on the twin doors but they refused to budge. He shot a bolt of lightning but they didn't even react. Fujin used the strongest gust of wind he could to try and break the door open but it simply refused.

Not thinking, Raiden teleported back inside. He pointed at Noob, "Saibot! I refuse to be shut out!"

Standing beside Noob was his ever faithful revenants. Noob smirked, "You're outnumbered, my friend."

Electricity surrounded Raiden, "I won't let whatever sinister scheme you're planning go through."

"You just came back from the dead," Noob reminded him, "you don't want to leave your people behind again do you?"

The thunder god knew the smug wraith had a point, "I…I suppose you're right. I'll be on my way, then."

Raiden sucked up his pride for that moment and marched out the doorway. Fujin followed quickly behind, "Are you sure it's a wise idea to just…leave him?"

"There's nothing we can do to him here," Raiden regretfully admitted to his friend, "This is his realm. He's too strong here. It's a shame what happened, while he had his bad side, Bi-Han was still a good man at the end of the day. I could have stopped it…"

"You cannot control fate," Fujin said to him, "if it was destined to be, then it was destined to be."

That's when Raiden got another idea, "Yes, you're right! Armageddon is destined to be! He must win…"

"What?"

Raiden grabbed Fujin by the shoulders, "Shao Kahn! Only he is able to prevent the end times! He must win!"

"Are you insane," Fujin questioned with fear that his mentor had gone insane from the pressure of his task, "was it not Shao Kahn's victory that set off this chain of events in the previous timeline?"

"He's our last chance," Raiden replied, "perhaps there's a chance for him, maybe we can set things right. Shao Kahn was once like me, many years ago…like me."

"You knew him…?"

Raiden continued to explained, "Yes, I did. I don't like to talk about it, though. I always feared that I would become like him and I almost did. He was the guardian of Outworld just as I am guardian Earthrealm. His intentions were good, but…somewhere he went wrong."

Fujin sighed, "It's almost maddening seeing as how you're the last guardian of the realms…at least the last with his sanity intact."

"Not quite, the guardians of Seido and Chaos Realm still live on," Raiden replied, "but their sanity can be called into question."

"You don't mean…?"

"I do," Raiden answered as the two vanished from the Netherrealm. Walking past them was the Cleric of Chaos, Havik.

The Cleric opened the massive double doors to Noob's cathedral with what would be a grin, had he any lips to grin with, "Noob Saibot, just the man I've been looking for!"

Noob greeted his friend with open arms, "Ahh Havik, what brings you to my domain?"

The jovial cleric bowed, "It appears that Seido has a new ally in the form of Triborg. I fear they may interfere with our plans."

"Triborg…I almost wish I could have gotten him on our side first," Noob lamented, "yet he shows signs of being a disloyal dog, unsurprising. He always was, even when he was Sektor. If they become a problem, I'll have the Brotherhood destroy him and all of the Seidan guard without hesitation. We're already busy in Outworld and I'm having one of our agents in Edenia start a coup to remove Kitana from the equation."

"We have no time to wait and see," Havik objected, "Chaos waits for no man!"

Noob turned back to his partner in crime, "And chaos deems that striking the Realm of Order would give them what they want! We can't give Seido the excuse they need to attack us! Think Havik, we already have Earthrealm suspicious of us and seeing as how I killed her beloved, I'm sure Kitana will be after us soon enough. I've already planned for both of them, but we can't have more people who want us dead! Not before _it_ begins."

"Ahhh yes _it_ ," Havik remembered, "you're right, how could I forget? Here I am focusing on the small fish while you focus on the greater chaos! How long until _it_ begins?"

Noob was pleased by Havik's turnaround, "I need you to head to the Living Forest to find Blaze. After that, all bets are off. I'll send in a little assistance." Rising up behind Noob like a shadow was an 8-foot tall monster. Four arms rose out from the beast's elongated torso, revealing it to be a resurrected Goro. Conversely he came back wrong. His skin was as black as Noob's, his expression was blank, and a chain came out from his neck. No, he did not have a collar. Rather the chain was lodged into his neck, coming out like a leash. The psychotic revenant handed the leash to his second-in-command, "Now go."

Havik nodded joyously, skipping off with Goro in his command. Noob on the other hand retreated further into his cathedral, entering the hidden chamber where Sareena was. She was still hanging vicariously above the bubbling black ooze. She looked weary, almost sullen in fact. Noob reveled in her misery, "Ahhh I see you're still hanging on. I'll break you yet."

Her hanging head looked up to him, her eyes were a dull pink and her eyelids were half closed. She weakly spoke out, "You underestimate me, Bi-Han. If anything, I'll be the one who saves you."

Noob cupped her chin and placed his hand upon her cheek, "You always were an optimist even in the darkest of times. I see what needs to be done now."

Her fleeting hope was restored, if only for a moment. Maybe she was finally reaching him maybe the Bi-Han she loved was still in there. She smiled warmly, "What?"

He took the chains to her shackles and snapped them with his bare hands, sending her into the ooze, "I'm going to change you the same way you changed me!" Sareena fell into the tar, reaching out her hand and trying to escape. It was pointless, it had already consumed her.

When she walked out, her skin was now a dull gray and her eyes were pure white. Her outfit was mostly the same but now it had the addition of a hood and it was all black, giving it a striking resemblance to Noob's own clothes. The black markings around her eye were now closer to Quan-Chi's and her teeth were sharper. Noob was most pleased by this new form, "And now, you are reborn! No longer a demon, just as I am no longer human. I… _we_ are something more now."

Sareena said nothing, simply smirking at her new form.

We now return to Edenia, the capitol currently under reconstruction. It had been two weeks since Shao Kahn's removal from the throne. The first thing to come down was the massive statue of Shao Kahn that replaced the one of Jerrod. Replacing it was not a statue of Kitana, but a statue of Ermac. A plaque at the sculpture's base read, "This statue commemorates Ermac, the brave warrior who stood up to Shao Kahn and returned Edenia to its rightful ruler."

The palace Shao Kahn once called home remained unchanged, however. Sitting in the throne room was Queen Kitana, who mournfully looked at the empty accompanying throne. If only Liu were still alive. This is all she wanted, to reclaim Edenia for herself but now that she had…she couldn't help but feel a little empty. What could she do? Shao did most of the work when it came to rebuilding, and the people still seemed content.

She placed her cheek against her fist in utter boredom. She sighed, turning to her guardsmen who were still dressed in their Shao Kahn-esque garb. One of them asked, "Is there an issue, my Queen?"

"No," she replied, "but I do have a question. Are you happy?"

"Yes, m'lady," the guard answered, rather confused by the question.

"That's good, that's good. Are there any issues that need to be taken care of?"

"If there were, we'd let you know right away."

Kitana nodded, "Of course you would." Again her mind began to wander. This job seemed so lonesome, it was just her. Liu Kang should've been her king, but life had different plans. Yet that gave her an idea…who was the one who killed her lover? It was Noob Saibot. She had an entire army at her disposal so it was possible she could get avenge the Shaolin warrior. At the same time, this risked wasting her forces. She couldn't let everyone die just for the sake of revenge.

Kitana struggled with her decision. Jade dropped in to greet her friend. With a sort of sixth sense, she could almost tell her Queen was under some form of stress. She asked, "Kitana? What's the matter?"

"It's Liu," Kitana said, "I just wish he could be here by my side."

Jade understood her friend's pain and deeply sympathized with her, "It can be hard to move on, but think about what he'd want you to do. He wouldn't want you to wallow when you have a kingdom to run."

Kitana knew Jade was right. Even if she knew that it was still hard to move on, "Yes, I have a kingdom to run."

"Besides," Jade joked with a knowing smirk on her face, "it seems like you and that Sub-Zero have gotten quite close."

Kitana brushed her mocking off while lightly punching her in the shoulder, "Oh please, he's just been helping me out. We're only about as close as you and Ermac."

Jade blushed slightly beneath her mask, "Right, right. I was just joking anyway." The two of them remained silent after that, almost awkwardly. The silence was broke by Ermac entering the throne room, "We have received word from one of our battalions that there has been a string of murders in one of the small villages to the east of this palace."

The queen, while clearly concerned, kept her cool at this sudden announcement, "What? How many people were killed?"

"Seventeen," Ermac answered, "it took place in the middle of a local marketplace. The murderers were described as being a group of five robed warriors and when they left the walls were covered in a form of graffiti that said 'HAIL SHAO KAHN.'"

Jade had a startling realization, "You don't think this was the work of Shao Kahn, do you?"

"Of course not," Kitana denied, "there's no way. But I do think there might be a sect of loyalists to Shao Kahn's cause in our kingdom. I almost shudder thinking there might be people out there willing to kill in his name."

Ermac agreed, "Just as we used to. But why would they?"

"It's because Shao Kahn made himself to be a hero to the people of this realm," Jade speculated, "even if many don't see him as such since he attempted to kill Ermac, there are surely a few left who do." Their guessing would not last long as an explosion rocked the center of the town, knocking down the Ermac statue in the process.

To their shock, these terrorists surrounded the outside of the building with who appeared to be their leader standing atop the fallen Ermac statue. This leader was clearly a woman dressed in quite the baggy attire. They were almost like robes that were nearly black but showed hints of red. Her face was covered by a hood and skull helmet not dissimilar to Shao Kahn's own. But unlike Kahn's, this mysterious woman's mask completely covered her face. She called Kitana out specifically, "Kitana! You are not worthy of that throne!" Her voice was raspy and aggressive in nature.

Kitana looked out the window, coming face to face with this leader, "I don't know who you think you are but I'm more worthy of this throne than Shao Kahn!"

"That's where you're wrong," the woman said to her, "Shao Kahn rightfully earned this realm and built it back from the ground up! He did more for this realm than you ever had and more than you ever will! I'm here to fix that, now you can't sit around on your throne in peace, the peace you _stole!_ "

Jade and Kitana exchanged glances at the woman's mad ranting, having nothing to say. They were baffled by this insane logic to say the least. The woman took their silence as confirmation of what she said, "I rest my case!" She turned to the now gathering crowd around her, "Look at her, she took the throne when it was not her who even defeated Shao Kahn! Even by a savage's standards, she did not earn it. Answer me this, if it was Ermac who defeated Ermac why is he not in the throne? It _was_ his statue that stood before you all, not of Kitana!"

Ermac intervened by hovering out from the palace's gates, pushing all the terrorists aside, "Because we decided she was more worthy of the throne than us. And we decided that she was more-" yet he paused. He recognized this woman's presence, whoever she may be and asked, "Who are you?"

"My identity is unimportant," the woman sidestepped, "think of me not as an individual, but rather a single part of a collective consciousness! We are the Sons of Shao Kahn!"

Her fellow terrorists raised their fist at that. But Ermac couldn't shake the feeling he knew this woman in the past. However her essence seemed corrupted, something wasn't right. Almost as if necromancy had a role to play in this stranger's origins. It didn't matter, he charged after her. A threat to Edenia was a threat to him. The woman disappeared in a puff of black smoke, drop kicking him from behind before he had a chance to react. Ermac turned around, only to see her gone again.

What he was instead met with were floods of her minions coming in after him. Immediately Ermac got a headache in their presence. Again that ominous feeling overcame him, but this time he couldn't help but feel that these weren't Edenians. They were instead something far worse. This distracted him greatly, allowing the robed revolutionaries to completely overtake him.

Kitana and Jade dropped down to aid him, fending off the forces. Eventually they too vanished in black smoke like their leader, leaving nothing in their wake. Jade ran over to Ermac and helped him keep his footing by allowing him to lean on her. Ermac looked up, "There's more to this than meets the eye. We have encountered that woman before and her army…they're not of this world."

Kitana knew right away who was to blame for this, "It's the Netherrealm's doing! Noob's been planning something and now he's setting the stage. He killed Liu, he took over the Netherrealm, and I'll bet he's trying to destroy Edenia. But who's the woman working for him?"

Jade drew the only conclusion they could, "Tanya!" The group of three charged back into the palace, making their way towards Tanya's chambers. Lo and behold, she was gone. All that was left was jagged writing on the wall that read, "Death to the Queen."

The Queen balled her fist in rage, "I knew I should have imprisoned that traitor!"

All signs pointed to Tanya thus far but Ermac still reserved some doubt. Still it was the only lead they had, so it was all they could go with. They were quick to hang up Wanted posters for the supposed turncoat before she and her terrorists could strike next elsewhere. Troops were dispersed across the land to find her, including Shao Kahn's place of exile.

A few hours later, deep within the Edenian bog, Shao Kahn had no knowledge of what was going on within civilization, nor would he care. All that mattered to him was revenge and nothing more. Reflecting that was his unshaven look. He now had a short beard. Its color was a mix of black and gray. Not only that but he was also growing _hair_. It grew out from the back of his head rather than nearing the top, since that's where the growths on his forehead ended. It was the same color as his beard. He was in the middle of doing push-ups against the moist and soggy ground as he heard footsteps approaching. Thinking fast, the former king leapt up into the trees and hid amongst the leaves.

When he looked down he saw a group of ten Edenian soldiers marching through the swamp, searching the area. He stroked his beard wondering, "What could they be here for?" His curiosity soon gave way to apathy. If they were in his stomping grounds, they would face his wrath. He snapped a nearby branch from the tree and leapt down with a loud stomp.

The guards slowly turned around, seeing a half-naked man brandishing a stick. They reached for their weapons and slowly raised them. Their fear slowly grew, not knowing who this forest man was. He already looked so different from Shao Kahn that it was impossible for someone to know. Their hands were shaking, the sweat slowly dropped against the ground, and they showed much hesitation. Finally one solder drove his spear at Shao. The savage emperor dropped his branch grabbed the spear by the handle and yanked it out from the soldier's grasp. In as a little as a few seconds, the spear was already driven through the soldier's stomach, leaving him dead.

The other soldiers tried attacking, yet Shao avoided them by heading into the trees again. The soldiers' hearts started pounding. They had no idea around the swamp yet Shao Kahn had the advantage. He was essentially a guerilla soldier, making use of the environment. Not thinking, the soldiers threw their weapons into the trees a futile effort to repel this monster. Most of the weapons fell back to the ground below, yet a sword did not make it back down. The remaining nine heard a thud behind them, finding Shao Kahn's body with the sword seemingly driven into his torso.

They slowly approached, keeping a cautious distance. They went closer to inspect the corpse. One of them took notice that the sword was not in Shao's chest but rather it was between his right arm and his body. It didn't even cut him. The soldier began to panic. The other guards turned to him and one asked, "What's the matter?" They started to feel fear run up their spines as Shao got back up brandishing the sword at them. He only uttered one sentence, "Never come back."

They obliged, retreating in their fright. Shao Kahn too retreated, deeper into the woods. Even with his loss of strength, Shao Kahn gained newfound agility. The Shao Kahn of old would not have been able to traverse in the trees but now things were different. He went towards the pond with both sword and spear in hand. He threw the spear in, pulling out a fish. He continued fishing for at least an hour, returning to his campsite near Orin's cave.

Shao sat alone with a grimace on his face. While he certainly had an advantage in the bog, if he dared to return to the village he would be killed on sight. For now he had to remain in the forest and continue rebuilding his strength. To think, Ermac did this! Ermac! To Shao Ermac owed his life to him and this is how he was repaid? Even if Shao died, he wanted to take Ermac with him.

Yet he suddenly got an idea. He could take that power back from Ermac by force. After all, Ermac just took away his physical strength not Shao's innate magic abilities. Of course, he was the one who gave Ermac his power and he could still take it away. Yet he couldn't just barge in and take his powers. No, rather he had to figure out a plan to sneak into the palace.

His plotting was cut short as the ground shook violently and a bright light came out from Orin's cave. Shao hurried to the cave finding that a young man slowly reaching out from a massive stalagmite. Orin greeted the young man, "Welcome back to the world of the living, Taven…"

* * *

 _And thus concludes our chapter. I know we raised a lot of questions in this chapter such as what is Noob's motivation, who is the leader of Sons of Shao Kahn, is there any time left to prevent Armageddon and the biggest question of all I'm sure you're all asking. "Shao Kahn can grow hair?!" Well in this continuity he can! Considering he's probably a god just like Raiden and Argus, who also have hair, I think he could. The other questions will have to wait to get answers but you'll be surprised at them all when we get there! Until then I'll see you in the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed this one!_


	20. Visions

The stone of the stalagmite continued phasing away, forcing Taven from the inside and onto the ground. He lifted himself back up to look at his surroundings. His attention then turned to Orin, "What happened? Where am I?"

"You have missed much, young son of Argus," the golden dragon answered vaguely.

He stumbled around the cave, completely confused by his sudden reawakening. He had just one more question, "How long?"

"Excuse me," Orin asked.

"How long have I been sealed in there?"

Orin simply replied, "15,000 years."

Taven's jaw dropped, his eyes went wide, and he broke out into a sudden sweat. So many years of his life were gone, all without his knowing. He had nothing to say, what was there he could say? He tried asking another question yet…nothing came to him. His mind was filled with many conflicting thoughts. Why had his parents done this, where was Daegon, where was he, what about his parents? He almost didn't want to know the answer to those questions. He didn't even know if he'd get an honest answer. If his parents lied to him before he was sealed, what's to stop Orin from lying to him. Was he just a pawn to his parents?

Orin took sympathy to the increasingly worried Taven and tried to comfort him, "I realize this must be quite the shock to you. Allow me to explain, your parents had you sealed so that you may save the realms from the end times. Your mother prophesized a time when there would be a great imbalance in the realms. You and Daegon are destined to save the realms from destruction."

"That's not what she told me," Taven replied with a hint of disdain in his voice, "She said Daegon and I were to defeat Shao Kahn before he had a chance to invade Edenia." His anger was palpable. Orin tried to calm him but Taven interrupted, "I never asked to be sealed! I never asked to be some tool to both my mother and father!"

Orin, again, felt empathy for Taven's situation. So much so, he had no way to retort Taven's scathing remarks. The guardian tried reasoning, "Taven please, you must take this quest. If not, then the realms will be doomed. Blaze must be destroyed by you and nobody else! It's the only way to restore the balance that has been destroyed."

Taven recognized the name Blaze and took even greater issue with his involvement, "The fire elemental my mother created?! He's the one that triggers Armageddon?" He couldn't believe this. His mother was seemingly responsible for the soon-to-be destruction of all the realms.

Once more, Orin had no way to argue against him. Delia _was_ the one who created Armageddon's trigger. It was Blaze who would be the one who would signal the destruction of the realms, it was Blaze who would be responsible for the destruction of the realms if Taven or Daegon should fail. Orin simply avoided that, "It doesn't matter it's now you who is tasked to prevent the end times."

Taven held the bridge of his nose in a mix of disappointment and sorrow. He decided to take up the quest, "Very well. Tell me Orin, where should I go now?"

"You must head to Earthrealm to retrieve your weapons and armor. I can take you to your destination should you so wish. If you do choose to go, you can simply return here with a mere thought."

Taven agreed, being sent off to Earthrealm for the time being. Shao Kahn, still just outside of the cave, grinned at this turn of events. He realized this meant that Armageddon was coming soon. If he could just somehow get his power back before the times comes, then he could easily destroy Blaze and take the victory all for himself. It was now he realized that he needed to set his plans to sneak into Edenia in motion so that he may take back what Ermac stole from him. He had an idea, returning to the corpse of the dead Edenian soldier. He stole the soldier's outfit and put it on. The helmet made him completely unrecognizable. It almost seemed too easy. He could now sneak into the village without any kind of suspicion. His exile would end sooner than expected.

However, instead of rushing in Shao knew he would need all of his strength just in case he should be found out. So he decided that he should rest for the night, saving his power for the morning. As soon as he fell asleep, the would-be tyrant had a vision.

In this vision he was in what seem to be a dystopic future. Almost every building was completely covered in overgrowth, beneath his feet were the corpses of those that might oppose him such as Ermac, Kitana, and Kotal Kahn, and the sky was constantly a moody gray Shao was most pleased by this revelation. That pleasure would rise when he looked towards a massive effigy reaching high into the sky. This statue was taller than most of the structures in the area. It was a sculpture of whom else but Shao Kahn himself.

Shao smirked smugly…that was until he realized something. There was nobody around. The closest thing around were the bodies that lay beneath him. Shao was most confused, while he certainly was a savage no doubt, he wasn't a genocidal maniac. Everywhere he stepped there was no sign of life, just death. That was until he heard laughter coming from a nearby fortress.

Shao slowly approached the fortress, the pile of bodies beneath him only growing. Most surprising is that what seemed to be soldiers for him were among the casualties. It wasn't as if this was a warzone, this was clearly a surprise attack brought on by something. "How did this happen," the former emperor pondered out loud.

He received his answer when he found his way into the temple. While he was expecting one of his enemies such as the Dragon King or maybe even Shinnok what Shao found instead was something far more horrifying. What he saw was himself, sitting in a throne surrounded by guards. Again these guards were little more than rotted flesh and bone. What he saw was the future Shao desecrating the corpses as he muttered, "Nothing left…conquered everything. Victory!" This Shao wasn't the Shao Kahn anybody knew.

Rather this was a Shao Kahn driven to despair by the looks of it. His gaze was cold, his eyes were wild, and he constantly had a plastered grin upon his fair. The Shao of the past approached with caution, leading his future counterpart to charge right at him, "What's this?! A man unconquered?! Simply unacceptable, Shao Kahn the Konquerer never relents! All will be subdued by my power!"

The Shao of the past tried overcoming his future self, yet nothing could stop him. This Shao was at full power and he threw the old Kahn into a nearby wall with little effort.

"What…what has gotten into you?! We never wished for genocide, we wished to rule all!"

"We…? What do you mean we," the deranged ruler asked, "ahh, you're the voices…but you wanted me to kill them all. They wanted my throne, the throne I worked so hard for! The throne we worked so hard for! Look at our beautiful empire!"

Shao 1 got back up and shook his head, "You fool! You've left nothing left to rule! That throne is pointless!"

The second Shao disagreed, "No, no it can't be pointless! I conquered all the realms, I took control…but with all the realms conquered all that was left were the people. Don't you see we had to kill them?" The deranged Shao placed his hands on his earlier equivalent, "However, there can only be one Shao Kahn." The smile on Shao's face grew even wider, like that of a shark's, "I can't have anybody take my throne, not even me."

The Shao of the past tried breaking out of his future foe's grasp but it was no use. The genocidal tyrant shattered Shao's shoulders like glass and smashed him against the ground. The future Shao grabbed his hammer and raised it high above, "You won't take the One Realm from me! It's mine!" The mallet fell down, splattering the past Shao's head across the wall.

We return to the present, with Shao Kahn reawakening in the middle of the night. He was in a cold sweat, visibly shaken by the event. Was that really what'd happen if he took over all the realms? Would his mind simply degenerate to such a primal state? For the first time in a long time Shao had to ask himself if taking over all the realms would truly be worth it. He tried falling back asleep but after that nightmare, he'd have a hard time doing so.

Taven however had a much different struggle. He had arrived arrived in the middle of the tundra with a massive temple overlooking the entire area. He assumed that this was his destination and started making his way towards it.

The weather in the tundra was intense. The harsh wind and cold snow whipped across Taven's body, yet he did not relent. The snowstorm wasn't pleasant but he wanted to finish his quest as soon as possible. There was no time to rest. He only paused when he heard the loud footsteps of an approaching opponent. He turned, seeing a furred white beast lumbering closer to him. Taven went to attack the monster head one but was met instead with its hand smacking him across the chest. Taven slammed into the ground, the snow beneath him slightly cushioning the fall. He got back up and tried to attack the Ice Beast, yet his punch was ineffective. Taven was taken aback by this. It seemed his hibernation took a great toll on his strength.

With his power weakened, Taven thought the only way out was to run. Unfortunately for him, the Ice Beast caught him by the leg and pulled him back. He was dragged through the slush and promptly thrown into the ground. The Ice Beast raised its arm into the air, ready to finish the Edenian warrior. That was until a grappling hook wrapped around the beast's forearm, ensnaring it. A group of Tekunin cyborgs pulled the beast back, firing all of their weapons at it.

The beast went down in the flurry of fire and bullets, leaving Taven uninjured for the most part but still heavily wounded. The Tekunin took notice to the half-god, with one of them scanning him. They found his power level was quite staggering so he may've been of some interest. They took him back to the temple.

When Taven awakened he found himself surrounded by the robots in a chilly solitary chamber. He was startled to say the least seeing as how he had never met creatures made of metal before. The cyborgs merely stared back at him, unfazed by his fear. The doors to the chamber they were in opened revealing one bright red eye in the dimness, "Well well well looky what we got 'ere."

The bright shining eye approaching closer, revealing Kano who was even more of a machine than he was before. Instead of only his eye, the entire left side of his face was cyberized. His cyborg half always had a skeleton styled smile. Not only that, but his right arm too had been replaced entirely by a robotic appendage. Lastly he wore a black trenchcoat with a sleeve over his organic arm. The arms dealer laughed at Taven, "Y'should know better'n to jus' walk 'round the tundra, friend."

Taven scowled at the cybernetic freak, "I don't know who you are, but you have no place in this temple! It doesn't belong to you!"

Kano folded his hands, "Ahhh right y'may be but the owner gave me th'job a' watchin' over it while he's out on business. You've got no right t'be walkin' 'round here." He held one of his fingers out, a blade popping out from it. He held the blade up to Taven's neck, "But I'm curious. What are y'doin' here? Jus' 'avin a fun lil' lark?"

"I was just on a nice walk is all," Taven joked, not even slightly frightened by the knife against his neck. Kano had a genuine chuckle at that, "Ahhh cheeky one are ya? Nobody jus' takes a nice friendly walk 'round the tundra, y'feel me? Now be honest, what's yer real game?" He held the blade closer to Taven's neck. So close it would just take a little nudge for it to cut him.

Taven still refused to admit anything, "You don't intimidate me!"

The Australian mercenary soon dropped his affable façade, turning to anger quickly, "Alright, so politely askin' ya ain't gettin' answers so how 'bout we get straight to the point! You've got a reason t'be here, what is it? Lin Kuei spy? Special Forces lookin' fer me? Y'better start talkin' 'fore I have yer 'eart ripped right out from yer chest!"

Taven broke free from Kano's grasp and tried to make his escape. Tekunin cyborgs flew in, blocking his only exit. Kano smirked deviously, "Runnin' away so soon? But we were jus' startin' ta have fun, wasn't we?"

Kano shot an eye laser at Taven, who narrowly avoided it by ducking under it. Taven rolled out from under the Tekunin and continued running. Kano pointed in his direction, "What'd Triborg make you scrapheaps for? After him!" The Tekunin flew after the Son of Argus, trying to make capture him. Taven narrowly escaped by hiding in the Grand Master's chambers. What he found in there was a massive statue of his mother. He looked up to the statue in awe, "This must be where Orin wished for me to go."

Taven walked to the statue, running his hand across it. As he did that, the statue sank into the ground as the ground rumbled and dust clouded the air. When it cleared up, a secret corridor had opened. Taven cautiously continued. As he did he received brief flashbacks to his past. He remembered the last moments from before he was frozen.

It happened while he was in bed, sound asleep. He never even got to say so long to his parents or his friends from the past. The memories were too much, forcing Taven to lean against the wall. The further he went, the more he remembered. He looked to the ceiling and asked, "Why mother? Why father?" The son of Argus collapsed to his knees, completely overwhelmed.

Unexpectedly that's when he felt a hand run across his cheek. He looked up, seeing his mother standing before him. He had no words, his expression said it all. She knelt down to him, "Taven…"

He didn't answer back to her. She nodded sorrowfully, "It was not my wish to have you sealed."

Taven snapped at her, pushing her hand away and standing back up, "Then why did you?! There must have been a better way!"

"Please," Delia tried to reason, "I was under pressure. There was no other choice."

Again Taven refused to accept her, "Under pressure?! You were under no pressure! Was I just a tool to you? Is that what Daegon was to you?!" His fist clenched and he threw a punch out of rage. It merely went through her.

"You never were a tool for me," Delia replied calmly, "you were my son. This must be hard for you, I know."

"You always were cold," Taven remarked with a hint of disdain, "I was frozen for eons and you think it's just hard on me? You pushed me into some grand scheme of yours that I had no agreement to and you think it's just hard on me? I should have expected this from you."

She frowned when he said that, "If you want to be that way then be that way. I only appeared to you to tell you, you have inherited my pyromancy. Goodbye, Taven. I hope you'll choose the right path…"

Taven watched her as she vanished, almost feeling bad for the way he treated her. He failed to consider her just as he felt she failed to consider him. Indeed, the son of Argus felt a form of regret with the way he acted. Still, he had to focus on his goal. He finally found a dead end, finding nothing. Where was the armor? Where were the weapons?

He didn't have long to ponder this, as the Tekunin found him in the corridor. Kano smirked smugly, "Weeeeeell ain't this nice? You found a 'lil hidden area fer us _and_ there's no place fer ya to run."

Taven was cornered and left without many options. He knew it was either fight or die, so he chose to fight. He shot a ball of fire at Kano, knocking the mercenary to the ground. Taven looked at his hands in surprise, "She was right…I did inherit her powers!"

The two other Tekunin cyborgs tried to attack Taven, yet Taven retaliated by smashing them with a wave of fire. He attempted to escape until Kano grabbed him by his ankle, "Hope y'don't think yer goin' anywhere!" He ran one of his knives into Taven's thigh. Taven screamed, pulling the knife out. This gave Kano enough time to sock Taven in the face and kick him onto the ground. Taven shot another fireball at his psychotic enemy, sending him straight onto the ceiling.

Taven took this chance to run, finding that when he returned from the corridor an all-out war was going on within the temple. The joined forces of Lin-Kuei and Shirai Ryu were absolutely destroying the Tekunin. Kano crawled back out and gasped, "Shit."

To make things worse for the Black Dragon, he soon felt a sword pointed to his back. He turned around only to be greeted by Kenshi. Kenshi smirked, "Guess what they say is true, cyborgs of a feather commit crime together."

Kano sneered at the sight of the blind swordsman, "Of all the rotten luck…Triborg's gonna be pissed."

"Triborg is the least of your worries."

Taven interrupted, "Excuse me, but what's going on here?"

"We're taking back what belongs to the Lin Kuei," Kenshi answered.

Soon they were joined by Kuai Liang and Hanzo Hasashi. Kuai greeted Taven, "Ahh a prisoner? Who're you?"

Taven introduced himself, "I am the son of Argus, Taven."

The three exchanged confused glances. They had no idea who Argus was but he sounded important. Hanzo had a suggestion, "Perhaps we should take Taven to Raiden. I'm sure he'll know who Argus is."

Kenshi agreed, "If anybody would know, it'd be him."

Kuai, while curious, had to decline joining them, "You two go to Raiden, then. I need to be here to reclaim my temple. With all of this commotion it's only a matter of time before Triborg comes back. I want to be here when he does."

Kano, sensing their guard was down, used this time to make an attempted escape. Kenshi felt Kano trying to leave and threw a knife in his direction. "What about Kano," Kenshi asked.

"I'll take him back to the Special Forces," Hanzo answered, "That means you'll be seeing Raiden personally, Kenshi."

Kenshi nodded, "Very well. Come along, Taven. I'll take you to Raiden."

"The defender of Earthrealm?"

"The very same," Kenshi replied.

The two departed for the Sky Temple so that Raiden may help them.

Back in the Netherrealm, Noob awaited the return of Havik. He could feel it soon he would have all he needed to achieve his plan. Blaze would be all he needed. He sat patiently in his throne he waited for 20 years to set this in motion. He sat back as Shinnok invaded, he sat back as Kotal Kahn overtook Outworld, and he sat back as Onaga returned from the grave. Still there remained one question, just how did Noob know about Armageddon?

He remembers when he first bore witness to the prophecy back when he was thrown into the Soulnado vividly. As he swirled through the Soulnado he witnessed a vision of Armageddon. As the souls within tried tearing him apart limb by limb he was simply enamored by witnessing destruction of all life. Reality itself wiping itself clean and existence falling apart by the seams was a quite a sight.

Seeing it firsthand would have driven anyone mad, but Noob seeing it gave him motivation. Not motivation to stop it, but Noob's motivation was to take advantage of it. So he waited it out. Whereas Raiden's visions of Armageddon drove him to the brink of desperation, Noob's vision drove him to see it through.

His reminiscing on the past would soon come to an end as he met with one of his cohorts, the leader of the Red Dragon, Daegon. Daegon made it clear right out the gate why he was there, "I grow tired of waiting, Noob."

"I know," Noob simply retorted, "it won't be long now. I've sent Havik to Outworld to hunt down Blaze. After we find him, we'll head to the Pyramid of Argus and you can kill him there."

"Are you sure we can trust Havik," Daegon questioned. He had every reason to be doubtful but Noob was positive Havik wouldn't betray them, "Of course we can. Havik and I have been partners for quite some time now. He knows that I have his best interests at heart."

"Those best interests being?"

"Your best interests," Noob slyly deflected, "we're all a team here after all. Besides, when all is said and done you'll be the one who defeats Blaze."

Daegon's suspicions didn't die down but he was satisfied for now, "I suppose you do have a point. I can't wait to destroy Blaze and take control of the realms! I'll turn my parents' little plan against them!"

Soon they were joined by a third member, that member being the leader of the Sons of Shao Kahn. She bowed beneath Noob, "I've got good news. It appears I'm keeping Edenia's forces from attacking Netherrealm. However, they're suspicious you're the one behind the attacks."

Noob shrugged, "Yes, and? That's exactly what I wanted. Even if they suspect me, they'll have to stop you before they can even think to focus on me. Keep the terrorism up, keep them busy, soon we'll have exactly what we want."

"Excuse me but who is this," Daegon questioned.

The wraith gave a vague answer in reply, "She's a benefactor. She was a lost soul until I resurrected her. I've given her a mission in Edenia to keep Kitana busy while we wrap up in Outworld."

"My only wish is that I have control of Outworld," she added, "I care little for any other realm."

Daegon shook his head, "And I was not informed of her involvement?"

"I figured what goes on in Edenia right now to be irrelevant to your interests," Noob assumed.

The terrorist figurehead cut into their conversation, "Listen, I'm here for more reinforcements. I've got something big planned. I'm going to assault the palace itself."

Noob turned to her with much ire, "What?! That's not a part of the plan you fool! I want all of them alive, so that they may witness our triumph! If you assault the palace head on, you may risk killing them or even worse, getting yourselves killed! When you're dead, they'll come after me and the plan is ruined! Absolutely not!"

"But—"

"But nothing! Your revenge obsession with Kitana can't get in the way! When we're at the Pyramid of Argus, then you may kill her but for now she must be alive!"

She finally relented, "Very well." At least that's what she said. Truthfully she didn't care for Noob's little plan, when she returned to Edenia she would finally take to killing Kitana herself even if it meant going after her herself.

Noob folded his hands in delight, "Oh good. Now that we've discussed all of our important matters, you two are dismissed."

The two proceeded out, leaving Noob alone but not for long. He called in another of his partners, the corrupted Sareena, "Ahh Noob, what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to see you Sareena," Noob answered, "I'm glad that with a little help you've finally seen the right side to be on."

"Of course," she responded, "I see you for what you truly are now. You know, I'm curious. Just what do you gain from all of this?"

The doors slammed shut all on their own as Noob got up from his throne. He smiled, "What do I have to gain? Everything."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Some things my dear, Sareena, are best kept a secret."

In Outworld, the reconstruction of Li-Mei's village was near completion. Li-Mei bowed before Kotal, "You have our gratitude Kotal."

"Please Li-Mei," Kotal replied, "it is my duty to assure my people are happy. Still, I will have a meeting with Hotaru. This attack will not be without its consequences rest assured."

"That won't be necessary," Hotaru interrupted, marching into the village with a battalion of Seidan cyborgs following behind, "We grow tired of your rule, Kotal. Your leadership compared to the Dragon King is a paltry mess! Far too long has our settlement dealt with the abominations that are the Tarkatan. Everyday some manage to enter Lei Chen and slaughter our peaceful people! Either exterminate them or relinquish your throne to us. We will not take no for an answer."

Kotal stood defensively along with Li-Mei covering him from behind, "I refuse to bow to you order obsessed freaks! You're lucky I didn't have Lei Chen dozed to the ground and all of you run out of this realm!"

Hotaru scowled deeply at his declination, "Very well, then. I shall be forced to take this realm from you, then."

"Wait," Kotal interjected, "as an outsider you are not allowed to simply take this realm! I am allowed to invoke Mortal Kombat!"

"I've planned for that, all of these cyborgs before you were once natives to this realm," Hotaru explained, " I just need to weaken you and let one of the natives kill you. Then they'll gladly hand the realm over to me. There's no rule against that."

Kotal clenched his fist, "Curse these loopholes! Elder Gods please! I just need this one favor of you…" This was clearly not Kotal's day, as their light did not shine down upon him. Hotaru was technically breaking no rules, so they could not intervene in anyway.

The troop of cyborgs attempted to make their attack until a massive section of them blew up. Rolling into the battle was the cowboy warrior, Erron Black.

Erron was not alone as Reptile and Sheeva too intervened. Reptile motioned to Kotal, "You take care of Hotaru! We can handle hisss machinesss!"

Kotal looked to the sun, absorbing its power to prepare for the fight. Hotaru tried punching him but Kotal simply grabbed his fist and twisted it. Hotaru hissed, "Where's Triborg?!"

Triborg flew out from the ranks but was not attacking, "Sorry boss, but I've got concerns of my own in Earthrealm! Thanks for your generous payment, though! It is must appreciated!"

Hotaru called the cybernetic turncoat out, "You disloyal dog! I need you help!"

"I fail to see where that's my problem now," Triborg said with a hint of sadism in his voice. It's almost as if he enjoyed seeing Hotaru fail against Kotal. It didn't matter, as Triborg soon vanished in a flash, leaving Hotaru to fend for himself.

Kotal slammed him onto the ground and bashed him repeatedly with his fists. Kotal pulled out his ceremonial dagger and held it above Hotaru's chest, "It would not take much to cut through that armor! Leave now before I have a change of heart!"

Hotaru slid out from under Kotal's legs and backed away, "Fine…you win. Keep Outworld just know that you've made a new enemy in Seido."

"We were never allies to begin with," Kotal assured him, "you have a day to evacuate Lei Chen before I have it demolished."

In spite of his embarrassing defeat Hotaru took this time to advise Kotal with a smarmy smirk, "This is far from over."

Kotal was not the slightest bit frightened by his scare tactics, "Yes it is. Be gone."

Hotaru limped away while holding his stomach in pain. His entire cyborg was wiped out in an instant, his greatest ally simply left him, and now he was left with no stake in Outworld. While he began out with great ambitions, those were now gone.

Kotal called his allies together, "I must say I am proud of all of you today. We have driven off the Seidan forces and protected Li-Mei's village. Once again you have done well."

Erron tipped his hat, "S'all in a day's work, boss. Those guys were too uptight fer comfort anyway."

Sheeva agreed, "Anyone who considers the Dragon King a worthy leader must be insane."

"I realize that we have fallen into hard times," Kotal admitted, "the Dragon King's return has brought us much turmoil but yet we still stand! That is the power of a united realm! Forcing the Seidans out brings us this much closer to having a realm at peace."

Li-Mei sighed, "Will it ever end, though? This realm seems destined to be one of constant disruption. No matter what we do, it always finds some way to unravel from the inside."

Kotal comforted Li-Mei by patting her back, "I know that it seems hard to keep control of a realm like this but we must keep trying. Things seem difficult now, but we must triumph! Especially now more than ever! I feel a storm is coming…a storm that may shatter this realm more than anything has before. That is why we must remain strong, so that we may face the storm and survive. As long as I am emperor, there will always be an Outworld."

"A ssstorm?"

"Yes Syzoth," Kotal replied, "I feel a sense of dread. Almost as if the realms themselves are falling apart and there is a great evil quickly approaching? I cannot escape the feeling. We must remember our alliances now more than ever before they are fragmented…"

"Just what evil do you feel," Sheeva questioned.

Kotal held his head in frustration, "If I knew, I'd be working to prevent it. For now, we must wait."

 _Well dear guest reviewer, Johnny DID lose $500 sunglasses if we go by the movie. But yeah no he definitely got out lucky compared to the others. I mean you know the others who DIED. He even got a wife out of it, even if they divorced. Hey give the celebrity credit for trying to show some sympathy even if he's considered the lucky one. Sure Jax did come back but his arms sure didn't. By the way is there any explanation for why Jax could come back but he still didn't have any arms? I mean outside of the fact robot arms are cool. Did Quan-Chi just not feel like bring Jax's arms back as a revenant? That's our Quan-Chi, what an asshole. Are his organic arms just waiting for him in Heaven? Ahh it's not important so whatever. Anyway, there goes another chapter in our story. We're getting closer to the end. See you next time!_


	21. The Creeping Doomsday

Back in Earthrealm, Sub-Zero waited in his temple for the return of Triborg for an entire day. He would not have to wait too much longer as Triborg marched into his chambers unannounced, "For too long have you been a thorn in my side, Liang! You have no right to retake this fortress!"

"It belongs to the Lin Kuei!"

Triborg mocked him by showing off his medallion, "But you are not the grandmaster anymore."

Sub-Zero tackled Triborg to the floor, trying to freeze him in the process. Triborg tossed him into the ceiling and flew away, "You're going to have to do better than that!" He shot missiles out from his wrists, hitting Sub-Zero in the chest. The explosion flung Kuai back into the wall with a loud crash. He smashed right through the wall.

Triborg flew in after him and bragged yet again, "Hah! A pathetic gesture! I have no use for this temple anyhow, I'll rebuild! And when I do, I'll be back!" He flew back out the doorway, making his escape.

Kuai got back up and started up a continuous stream of ice. He slid on the ice, catching up to Triborg in the hallway. Triborg turned back to him, "You can't keep up with me!" He flew out further, leaving Sub-Zero behind. The grandmaster continued racing after him, he would not let Triborg escape.

Two Lin Kuei warriors were walking in the hallway when they were knocked over by the flying cyborg. They were ready to pull themselves back up until their master raced past them, still sliding on ice. One asked, "Do you need any help, grandmaster?!"

He shook his head, "No! I'll take care of him myself! No more will die by his hands." Triborg turned back to him, "How will I ever be rid of you?!" He shot missiles out from his back, all aimed at his arch-rival. Kuai acted quickly, maneuvering out of the way of every missile. Triborg doubled the missile count and shot them again. Sub-Zero chose to instead block all of them with an ice wall. Triborg shook his fist, "You'll never catch me now!"

He shot up through the ceiling, leaving a hole in his wake. Still thinking on his feet, Kuai shot an ice pillar beneath him thusly raising him high into the air. He leapt up when he was close enough and grappled onto Triborg's legs. He froze them up, causing Triborg's jets to deactivate. The two of them came hurtling back towards the ground. Sub-Zero leapt off, leaving his cybernetic rival to crash. He slid back down on a stream of ice, thinking he had finally ended Triborg's menace.

He couldn't be more wrong. Triborg got back up and tackled the Lin Kuei master. Sub-Zero slid out from under him and smashed his head into the stone floor. Triborg started twitching and smoke leaked out from his vent. He flew back up, turning towards Liang.

He approached the grandmaster, his glowing slit-like eyes flashing rapidly. Kuai shot ice at him, but Triborg teleported away in a puff of smoke. He reappeared behind Sub-Zero and kicked him to the ground. A blade popped out from his wrist, "You're finished!" However he got lucky, as Frost came in and froze Triborg. Sub-Zero nodded back to her, "Much obliged!" She nodded back at him, "Let me help, I can stop him!"

"No you can't," Sub-Zero said, "Leave! I don't want him hurting you."

Flames shot out from his wrists, all aimed at Sub-Zero. Liang quickly rose an ice wall up, blocking the flames. Triborg broke through the ice wall and picked Kuai up, "You're going to pay for taking the Lin Kuei from me!"

As if by another glitch, Triborg dropped Sub-Zero. This gave the grandmaster a chance to trip Triborg up and freeze him to the ground. Triborg did not stay ground for long, as he broke out from the ice and continued his assault on Sub-Zero. The two of them traded punches until Triborg again suffered a form of glitch and started malfunctioning. The ample time provided allowed Sub-Zero to sock Triborg right in the face. At this point it was clear to the both of them these were not an ordinary form of glitch.

Triborg got back up, even more smoke whirring out from his the vents and cracks in his armor. He held his head, "What's going on?!" Inside his mind he heard another voice, the voice of Cyrax. Triborg's fist shook violently, as if something else was trying to take control. Triborg gasped, "Impossible! I…I made sure to wipe out all of your memories!"

Cyrax soon took control of Sektor's voice, "Not so, Sektor! I took you with me once, I'll do it again!" Triborg punched himself in the face and shot missiles at himself. Sektor took control yet again, "You can't do this! Think about it, Cyrax! This could be our empire! Think of us not as separate beings but as one and the same!"

"I'd rather be dead than be merged with you!"

Sub-Zero could only watch in awe as the two struggled for control of Triborg's body. Cyrax turned to Sub-Zero, "I'm sorry, for all of this."

"It's not your fault," Kuai assured him, "please don't self-destruct. I can still save you!"

Cyrax sorrowfully shook his head, "There's no saving me like this, Kuai. The only way I can find peace now is through death."

Sektor again took control, "If I can't survive…then I'm taking Sub-Zero with me!" Triborg slowly lurched towards Kuai. Cyrax took control for one final time, "Run, Kuai!"

Sub-Zero ran out from the chamber as he heard a loud explosion shake the temple and echo throughout the mountain. He opened the door, finding Triborg's head on the ground. The eyes that were once alight went dim and his medallion was down on the ground, having survived the explosion. He picked it up, "Your second sacrifice will not go unnoticed, old friend."

The other members of the Lin Kuei approached him. One of them asked, "Is it over?"

"It looks like it. The threat of Sektor will never rise against us ever again." He held his helmet over his heart, sad to see Cyrax have to give himself again for the safety of the Lin Kuei but at least Triborg was gone for good this time. Just to make sure, Sub-Zero had all of the remaining parts of the mechanical menace placed in storage, all separated.

Today is the day that Shao Kahn will take back Edenia, at least that's what he thought. Before he left, he coated his body in blood hoping that it would camouflage his deep burning red eyes. They were his most obvious feature after all.

He departed, limping his way to the palace. To truly feign injury, he collapsed onto the ground as soon as he entered. A set of soldiers picked him up. One asked, "What happened, soldier…?"

"It's Shao Kahn," Shao replied in a weak voice, "he's coming back and he's as strong as ever."

The guards turned to each other, unsure how to take this news. Edenia was having enough trouble with the Sons of Shao Kahn but now they had trouble with the real deal? As quickly as Edenia came back together, it almost seemed like it was falling apart again.

The soldiers took Shao up to the throne room. Kitana was pacing around the room, completely stressed out. She figured that being queen might be hard but she wasn't prepared for it. She looked at the fallen Shao thinking he was an injured soldier, "What happened to him?!"

"Shao Kahn," Shao whispered, "he's coming."

She drifted off. Even if Shao had been weakened, she dreaded him. He was the man who killed her father, he was the reason her mother committed suicide, and his name alone strikes fear into her core.

Jade walked inside, "Kitana, I've heard about Shao Kahn. What do we do?"

"Have our forces patrolling the border of the bog," Kitana commanded, "He can't possibly take on our entire army if he's still weakened!"

The soldiers obeyed, making their way out of the palace and to the border. Shao remained on the floor, still faking his injuries.

Kitana knelt down to what she thought was a grievously injured guardsman, "Please just rest. We'll get you to the infirmary."

Just as soon as they were about to take him away, an explosion rocked the palace and smoke filled the throne room. When they turned around, they saw a gaping hole where the thrones once were. Standing in the center was the leader of the Sons of Shao Kahn. She laughed maniacally, "Well look what we have here, the princess and her bodyguard!"

"I am a queen now," Kitana reminded her.

"Oh but you hardly are," the terrorist taunted, "You're a pretender!"

Jade took up her staff and raised it at the threat, "You will either leave now or face the consequences." Kitana pulled out her fans, "If you fail to comply, then that's your problem."

Shao Kahn, still on the ground, wondered just who this mystery woman was. Not only that but he was infuriated that she overtook his plan! Still if Kitana was killed in the ensuing battle, that would mean he could easily take it from whoever this was in all of this chaos.

The terrorist tackled Kitana. The queen pushed her off, and stabbed her right in the abdomen. Jade leapt in and bashed the bomber's head in with her staff. The anarchist shook her head, "Using weapons in a fistfight?! So dishonorable!" She pulled out a pair of sais, attacking Kitana and stabbing her in the thigh.

Kitana pulled the sai out, recognizing it. She then realized the identity of the attacker, "It can't be! You're supposed to be dead!"

The bomber pulled off her mask, revealing Kitana's face. She grinned, revealing sharp teeth under her new lips, "That's right, sister! I've been brought back and I'm here to take my throne back!"

Jade gasped, "Mileena?! Should've figured…but what about Tanya?"

"Dead," Mileena answered, "she sided with you fools until the very end. A surprising show of loyalty from her! I'm quite sad about it actually don't let my smile fool you. I really liked her." She threw her sais at Jade, which Jade deflected with her staff.

Kitana tripped Mileena up, sending her to the floor. Jade then smashed the staff against the clone's head. She griped, "Two against one?! Again so dishonorable of you, sister!" She turned around and grabbed Jade's staff. She pulled it out from her hands and threw it out the hole in the wall. She stabbed a sai into her stomach and kicked the green-clad warrior onto the floor. She smirked, "Much better, now it's just you and me."

Kitana called out to her best friend, "Jade!"

They wouldn't be alone for long as Ermac burst in through the door, picking Mileena up and forcing her against the wall. This was now Shao's chance, as he grabbed onto his ankle. Ermac quickly detected Shao's presence but by then it was too late. Shao drained away a part of Ermac's power, regaining his back in the process. He stood back up and threw off his disguise, "I really needed that Ermac. Thank you."

Kitana now recognized that voice now, "He infiltrated us and I never even knew it? I can't believe this."

Mileena was so happy to see him, "Daddy you've come back for me!"

Within seconds, Shao socked Ermac in the back of his head. He chortled confidently, "I am Shao Kahn, true ruler of Edenia!"

Ermac floated back up and sighed, "Has your exile taught you nothing? Is there really no changing you? We thought there may've been a chance for you, Shao. For all you've done, we thought that maybe the protector of Outworld was still there. But is this all there is to you? We know if we kill you, you'll come back. You always find a way. Is that what you want? A continuous cycle until you win?"

Shao's anger overcame all sense of reason, "You're a traitor Ermac! I won't listen to your lies! Nobody controls Shao Kahn!"

Kitana shook her head, "There's no reasoning with him. I've known him for eons and he's never changed."

"You're wrong," Ermac said to her, "we know that Shao Kahn has a sense of mercy. Back in the arena he refused to kill us, even if he knew he could."

"Don't listen to them," Mileena interjected, "They're fools, daddy! You're perfect the way you are."

Ermac disagreed, "You know where this will get you, Shao. We can sense your unease, you've seen what happens if you do win."

Shao knew, he absolutely knew. That vision he had the night before of his victory was something that never left his mind. Was that truly it? Was a descent into madness guaranteed if he won? Shao stepped back, "I do know. What of it? I'd rather win and go insane rather than fail and live with it. I am Shao Kahn, future ruler of all!"

Their conversation was interrupted as a shockwave shook the entire area. Kitana was quick to blame Mileena, "Was that one of your bombs?"

"No," Mileena answered, "not as far as I know." When they looked to the hole in the wall, they could see a great pillar of light rising out in the Edenian desert. Another shockwave violently rattled the area, causing many buildings to collapse. Kitana leapt out, knowing this was of greater importance than their petty squabbles.

Mileena and Shao followed but Ermac stayed behind, engulfed in his failures. He thought he could change Shao, he really did. What a fool he was to believe that. He knelt and held his head in his hands. However he was not alone. Jade knelt down next to him, "Are you alright?"

He looked away from her, "We've failed. The cycle is doomed to repeat itself, nothing changes." She wrapped her arm around him, "That's a lie and you know it. You've changed, haven't you? Don't say no, I know you have…"

Before Ermac could reply, she fell onto the floor again. The sai wound had taken its toll. Ermac could feel her heartbeat stop, she was dead. The construct of souls couldn't believe this, she couldn't be! He lifted her up with telekinesis and removed the sai from her stomach. After that, he concentrated as hard as he could. The wrappings on half of his face were lifted away, wrapping around her wound. The wrapping patched her up and he tried his hardest to get her heart started again. It worked, her heart started beating again. She looked back to him with a smile, "See? You wouldn't have saved me again if you hadn't changed. I suppose I owe you for that."

"You owe us nothing," Ermac said, "Consider this repayment for believing in us. Stay here, you're in no condition to fight." She kissed him on the cheek, "And that's my repayment for saving my life. Now go."

Ermac gave a silent nod, flying towards the pillar of light. She looked out the hole, "I hope he'll be okay."

Within the depths of the Netherrealm, Noob Saibot continued to anticipate Havik's return. Instead what he found is that Blaze would instead be brought in by two Brotherhood of Shadow warriors. The fiery elemental was being held in their grasp, still not in his final form.

Noob was most pleased to see Blaze, "I can't say I was expecting this! Look at this, he instead came to us. How nice. Call in Havik, I want him to see this."

He snapped his fingers, arising from his throne, "Take him to the dungeon! Get Daegon, this is our time!"

When Blaze next awoke, he was shackled to the wall within the dungeons. Around him were Daegon, Sareena, Enenra, Havik, and Noob. Noob cupped Blaze's chin, "Look who's awake."

Blaze's blurry vision soon cleared, seeing his captors. He turned to Daegon, "I came here to help you, Daegon. I know Shinnok has been manipulating you. You must—"

"I must nothing," Daegon interrupted, "I'm making my own destiny now, Blaze. I'm not a pawn in my mother's game or Shinnok's. I know she wanted me to 'save the world' but I'm not going to do what she wants. I'm not going to do what either of them wants of me!"

Noob agreed, "You're your own man now, Daegon. You don't need to do what anybody says, you're always in control."

Blaze shook his head, "He's manipulating you! I know there's good in you, somewhere. In the little time I knew you, I knew you were something better than this."

Daegon thought back to when he was sealed away. It was in the middle of the night, while he and his brother were sleeping. Neither of them had knowledge of what was going to happen. All that they knew is that they would be going on a great quest to save the world when they woke up. They both thought they'd be awake the next morning but instead, it wouldn't be for many years.

As Delia snuck in to have them sealed, Daegon had woken up just before she could have the spell placed on him. He turned to her with tired eyes. "Mom? What are you doing," he asked groggily.

She sighed, "Daegon, I need you to go back to sleep. Please, do it for your mother."

He got out of bed, "Why? Just what were you doing?!"

"Daegon please, listen to me," Delia tried to reason with him, "You need rest for tomorrow."

It was at this point Daegon caught on to what she was trying, "You're going to seal me up, aren't you?"

"Where did you get such a ridiculous idea," she questioned, trying to brush his suspicions off.

"I overheard you and father talking about it," Daegon answered, "is that it? And you don't even bother letter Taven or I know. You know we would've said no! What's this all for? Tell me!"

She had nothing to say, choosing to instead cast the sleep spell on him right then and there. Daegon fell to the ground, his last memory before sleeping the resentment he felt for his parents. While they had hoped that as time went on, he would hopefully realize how important this was in his sleep they couldn't be more wrong. Instead the resentment stewed as he was frozen. When he was prematurely awakened, there was only one thing on his mind and that was revenge.

Returning to the present day, Daegon's scowl only increased the more he thought about it. What about poor Taven? He can only wonder how he was taking this. Havik waved his hand in front of the Red Dragon leader, "Helloooooo? Are you alright?"

"Fine, just fine." Daegon looked to Noob, "So what are we going to do now? Do we kill him here?"

Noob had a different idea. He raised both of his hands, bellowing an incantation in a dead language. Green energy surged out from him and into Blaze. The life slowly drained out from Noob's body, leaving it a lifeless husk. Noob had completely transferred his consciousness into Blaze. This form of corruption turned Blaze's flaming orange body into a deep burning indigo. Armor-like stone formations rose out from his body, including a mask-like formation where his mouth was. Blaze was no more, Noob had completely taken over.

Noob broke out from the restraints, landing onto the floor. He rose back up, relishing in his newfound power, "We're one step closer, gentlemen."

"What does this accomplish for me, though," Daegon questioned.

Noob laughed, "It accomplishes nothing!" He shoved the Son of Argus onto the ground, stomping on him, "Blaze was right you fool! I've manipulated you and now you've outlived your usefulness! You couldn't find Blaze, you had most of your clan destroyed, and you are a poor pawn! What Shinnok saw in you I'll never know?" Daegon slipped out from Noob's foot and looked like he was ready for a fight…until he realized he was outnumbered. He instead chose to run, narrowly escaping a doomed fate.

While on the run he realized there was only one person to turn to and that was Taven. He had to warn him, he had to warn everyone before Noob managed to accomplish whatever he was planning. Enenra turned to Noob, as if he wanted to chase Daegon down. Considering the Brotherhood controlled the Netherrealm they could easily catch him.

Noob instead chose to let him escape, "Let him run, let him warn them. I want everyone to be there when the time comes. Come along, everyone! We must be at the Pyramid of Argus before everyone else arrives." The Brotherhood departed, making their way out of the Netherrealm.

Daegon knew by now that his brother would be in Earthrealm. And where in Earthrealm would he be? The Sky Temple of course! That's where Raiden would be and he'd be the one he'd turn to.

Within the Sky Temple, Taven along with Kenshi were conversing with Raiden, "I need your help, Thunder God. The end times have come and I have no idea where to turn."

"If you seek advice, I have no idea what to tell you," Raiden admitted, "but knowing Armageddon has come shows my greatest fears have come true. If you're the key to preventing the end, then that means we must find where it will happen."

Daegon appeared in the doorway, "I know where. The Pyramid of Argus in Edenia is where it begins."

Taven recognized his brother, "Daegon?! You look…different."

"That's right brother," Daegon replied, "I've come to warn you."

Kenshi recognized his voice, he was the leader of the Red Dragon, "You!" He pulled out his sword and aimed it at Daegon, "You killed my wife!"

Taven shook his head, "That's impossible! Daegon would never kill anyone who didn't deserve it. I know it."

"You've missed much, Taven," Daegon replied, pulling out both of their swords, "I've been waiting to finish this for a long time, Kenshi."

Raiden teleported between the two of them, "This is no time for fighting, we have far greater concerns."

Kenshi growled, "I've been tracking down this monster for years! Nothing's going to stop me from killing him, even if it means letting Armageddon happen."

"Don't let revenge cloud you mind," Raiden said, "You know your wife wouldn't want you to do this. You know your son wouldn't either."

Kenshi sheathed his blade, "You're right, but what do we do?"

"If these truly are the end times then we must gather everyone and head toward the Pyramid of Argus," Raiden answered, "there is no time to waste."

He transported the four of them across Earthrealm, so that they may gather all of the heroes they can. They even went to Outworld and recruited all they could there as well. This was it, the ultimate battle of good and evil. Armageddon was finally upon the realms.

* * *

 _Can you believe it? We're finally here! After more than a year of_ _writing we're at the final stretch! However don't think the excitement stops here we're just getting started! Stay tuned for the next chapter when the final battle begins and we finally get an answer to what Noob really wants out of this! Until then thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!_


	22. Armageddon Part 1

_Just for recap the forces of light consists of: Raiden, Sub-Zero, Kotal Kahn, Fujin, Johnny Cage, Erron Black, Sheeva, Li Mei, Kitana, Ermac, Cassie, Reptile, Sonya, Jacqui, Jax, Takeda, Kenshi, Kung Jin, Taven, Frost, and Scorpion._

 _The forces of darkness consists of: Noob Saibot/Blaze, Havik, Sareena, Kung Lao, Stryker, Kabal, Mileena, Sindel, Goro, Kano, and Enenra._

 _Where Shao Kahn and Daegon's alliances currently lie is unknown. With that out of the way, let the Kombat begin!_

The heroes arrived in the middle of the Edenian desert. All of the Earthrealm heroes were there along with many of the Outworld ones. Also there were Shao Kahn, Kitana, Mileena, and Ermac.

Standing atop the pyramid were the forces of the Netherrealm. Noob looked down to his enemies with sadistic delight, "It's all been coming to this…!"

"What happened to Blaze," Taven asked, taken aback by the elemental's corruption. Arms wide, he stepped back in shock.

Daegon answered, "He was corrupted and then possessed by a wraith."

"Just what is it that you've been planning," Raiden asked, curious as to why Noob would feel the need to possess Blaze.

Noob started to explain, pacing around the pyramid's top, "In spite of what you may think, my intentions are benevolent." He crossed his arms and pointed upwards, "You see, Raiden, I have witnessed the end. When I was thrown into the Soulnado, I saw visions of the future. What I saw was glorious, the sheer extinction of all life."

Johnny Cage interrupted his speech, "Extinction of all life? In what demented way is that glorious?!"

"Such simple thinking," Noob mockingly said, "you lack vision, Cage. Think about it, we're trapped in an eternal loop! No matter what happens it's always the same. Think, when has there been sustained peace throughout the realms?"

Murmurs and whispers could be heard, as everyone scrambled to prove him wrong. Noob smirked, "That's what I thought. Peace is impossible, turmoil will always triumph. There's only one clear solution." He clenched his flaming fist, causing sparks to fly, "Destroy reality itself! Wipe it all away! It's the only way for true peace!"

Raiden couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Noob have sense! You'll die too!"

"And what a beautiful death it'll be," Noob replied back to him while turning his back to them all, "we'll all die, together. Why spend this time fighting when we should be celebrating? Peace will finally come to us all."

"You know you can't control your actions," Kuai cried out to his brother, "You're not yourself."

Noob turned back to his brother with deranged eyes, "I've been Noob Saibot longer than I ever was Bi-Han!"

Sub-Zero tried to reach out to his brother, "Bi-Han please! For all you've done, you're not completely irredeemable. There must be a way to save you!"

"I'm saving us all," Noob replied back to him.

Sub-Zero was ready to run up the pyramid to save his brother but Raiden stopped him, "Don't do it Kuai! You could never face him alone!"

He was almost on the verge of tears but Sub-Zero pulled back, quietly agreeing.

The tremors only grew stronger the more they delayed. The pyramid completely broke through the ground, rising in all of its glory. Noob started to transform. His size grew to a staggering nine feet tall and his muscle mass increased exponentially. Spikes grew out from the stone plates on his flaming body and his already deep voice was even deeper, "It's finally here! Armageddon!"

Raiden pointed up to Noob, "Taven, you're our last chance…stop him."

Daegon took a head start, hoping to beat his brother to the top. Before Taven could follow, Sub-Zero placed a hand on his shoulder, "If you can keep him alive…"

"I can't make any guarantees," Taven admitted, brushing Sub-Zero's hand off. He started the race to the top in what can be considered the ultimate battle royale.

Shao Kahn had different plans, though. He would sit back as the fight continued until nearly everyone was either defeated or dead. When that happened, he'd have an opening and he could kill Noob himself.

The fight was on as the forces of darkness went rushing down towards the forces of light. The first fight to get into high gear was Cassie Cage and Sonya Blade fighting Kano. Kano grinned at them, "Ahh, mother n' daughter. I've been waitin' t'see both a' ya!"

Sonya didn't say a word, choosing to kick Kano in the face. Kano caught himself before falling to the ground. Cassie tried punching him but he caught it with his cyborg hand, "Ah ah ah, lil' one." He twisted her fist and kicked her against the pyramid stairs. A blade popped out from his finger, "Scared a' the apocalypse? Or scared a' me?"

She uppercut him right in the jaw, "Neither!" Kano went crashing down to the ground. He was ready to climb back up to get them but he was stopped by someone else. Johnny Cage grabbed him by the wrist, "It's not polite to hit a lady, Kano."

Kano elbowed him in the stomach, "Can it, ya has-been!" Johnny retaliated by punching Kano right in his glowing glass heart. Glass shards went flying everywhere, including inside of Johnny's fist. He held it in pain, "Should've seen that one coming." Kano held the gaping hole in his chest, "Well…guess that's what I get fer makin' it big n' obvious innit?"

Johnny kicked Kano in the stomach, sending him flying. He stood there confidently until Sindel flew in and screamed at him. He too was sent into the air.

Kitana snuck up from behind and put her mother in a chokehold. Sindel grabbed her daughter and threw her over her shoulders. The former princess got back up and held her fans up defensively. Mileena popped up from behind and leapt up onto Kitana's shoulders. She bit into her neck and Sindel screamed at them both. Kitana was outnumbered until an iceball came in, freezing Sindel.

Sub-Zero slid in and tripped the frozen Sindel up. He picked Kitana up, "Need a little help?"

"I'm just having some family issues is all," she joked, "but help is appreciated."

Mileena taunted her sister, "Come on sis let's dance!" Mileena rolled over to Kitana and attempted to stab her in the stomach. Kitana reacted quickly, grabbing Mileena's sai and tossing it across the desert. After that she dropped her fans, "You always say I do things without honor, Mileena. So let's do this without weapons."

The two went at it, leaving Sub-Zero to fend off an incoming Sareena. She growled at him, "You forgot about me, Kuai! Left me to rot in the Netherrealm!"

"I know," Sub-Zero sighed, "I had troubles with the Lin Kuei, I'm sorry!" She tackled him, sending them both down. Sub-Zero kicked shoved her off and slid away. She got back up and clenched her fist, "Don't worry it's okay Noob showed me the light. The future is in death, Kuai. Maybe you'll see that and we'll die as a family."

Sub-Zero shook his head, "I can't begin to say how much I'm sorry." Rising up from behind was Enenra, who grabbed Sub-Zero. The grandmaster struggled in his grasp. Sareena walked up and repeatedly punched him in the gut. She laughed, "Sorry? Don't be, I'm finally with Bi-Han again and we'll be together forever when Armageddon comes."

Out in the distance, a spear shot out. It hit Sareena right in the back and a loud voice yelled, "GET OVER HERE!" Sareena was yanked back, allowed Sub-Zero to escape Enenra's grasp. It hurt him on the inside to see his old friend reduced to nothing but a silent follower, corrupted to his very essence. It hurt him even more to have to fight him. Sub-Zero punched Enenra in the face and kicked him into the pyramid. Enenra refused to go down, rising back up like he didn't even feel it.

That's when another ice blast shot out at Enenra, freezing him. Frost slid in, kneeing Enenra's jaw. She turned to her master, "You alright?"

Sub-Zero looked at Frost with a warm smile, "Never better, kid." While he had lost his closest friends in this event, realized in the years that past he had made many more. He looked at Scorpion, Kitana, and Frost as examples of this. Hanzo especially, seeing as how their friendship ended a decades long feud between their two clans. Enenra teleported behind Sub-Zero, ready to strike…that was until Frost saw him and froze him in his tracks.

Sub-Zero roundhouse kicked him from behind. Frost jumped in and stabbed him in the shoulder with a pair of ice daggers. This attack forced Enenra to fade away, escaping for a brief moment.

Scorpion's fight with Sareena was short lived, as he was ganged up on by the revenants of Stryker and Kabal. The two of them were clearly upset at him specifically. It's almost as if they knew it was his revenge that prevented them from returning from their corruption. Kabal went running but Scorpion swiftly sidestepped the attack. Stryker shot at him but Hanzo blocked the bullets with his swords.

However this left him open, allowing Kabal to run in and send Scorpion spinning. Stryker threw a grenade, blowing him up. Hanzo went flying. Takeda and Kenshi came rushing in to defend him. Kenshi smirked at his son, "Let's see what you've got!" Takeda didn't bother to reply to him. Takeda lifted Kabal in the air and Kenshi slashed his abdomen right open. He was sent away after that.

Stryker shot at Takeda in his opening but Kenshi intervened, deflecting the bullets with his telekinesis. Takeda went running in and wrapped his whips around Stryker. He pulled the whips away, leaving Stryker spinning. His father went in and stabbed him in the stomach. Kenshi nodded in approval, "I see Hanzo has trained you well. I…I'm very proud of you. If the world does end, I just wanted to say that to you."

Takeda's stone face warmed up at least little, "It will take more than that to reconnect, Kenshi. But thank you."

Noob looked down at the fight and could see that his side was losing. He was outnumbered. But wait, he had the entire Netherrealm on his side along with all of the dead. Green energy surrounded him and he rose up his hands. Soon the forces of the Brotherhood rose out from the desert sand. Not only that, but he also resurrected another familiar face. The man he brought back was the deceased sorcerer Shang Tsung. He could've chosen to resurrect his old master, Quan-Chi or maybe even Shinnok but he knew he could easily lose control of either. Shang was the weakest of the three but that meant he was the most easily controlled. He assigned Shang as the controller of the dead, being unable to do it himself at the moment.

Shang leapt down from the pyramid and laughed, "Your souls are mine!"

The sorcerer redirected the undead corpses towards the forces of light, completely turning the tide of the battle. No matter how hard they may try, nobody could take these far greater numbers. Shang himself seemed to be leading the forces of the undead, so if he could be killed again maybe they would die with him.

There was an issue with that, though. The evil sorcerer was protected by a horde of the undead that was near impenetrable. But Raiden had an idea, "Shang, don't you realize your killer is here?"

It was now that the resurrected sorcerer noticed Shao Kahn standing on the sidelines. Fury overtook all rationale as Shang directed the entire horde at Shao. They overtook the former emperor. Had they attacked anyone else, the victim would be dead quickly. Shao Kahn was not any other victim, he is a powerhouse with nearly no equal.

He savagely beat down every single one of them with little to no effort. A single punch flung the corpses across the desert. He even grabbed a zombie and used it like his wrath hammer, beating down various other undead demons with it.

Shang stroked his wispy beard in contemplation. Thinking with reason again, he knew that even the forces of the Netherrealm stood little chance against his former master. So instead he sucked the souls out from all of them, gaining great strength from them.

This gave him the power to match Shao Kahn in battle. The two villains went at it, Shao Kahn throwing the first punch. Shang avoided it narrowly and tripped Kahn up. Shao threw a glowing green spear at Shang but he vanished before it connected.

When he got back up, he was put into a chokehold by the enhanced sorcerer. Shao struggled in his grasp as Shang tried to suck the soul out from Shao. Tsung mocked him, "You've been riding your high horse for too long. Even if the world does end, I'm glad to take you with us!"

Shao broke free of his grasp by elbowing Shang and decking him in his face when his guard was down. Again Shang vanished, putting Shao in another chokehold from behind. Again he taunted him, "Your brutish ways won't save you forever! Even you get tired!"

Again Shao elbowed him and decked him. Shang vanished yet again, putting Shao in a chokehold for the third time, "Nobody will rescue you and worst of all not a single soul will mourn you when you're gone."

Shao tried elbowing him again but Shang vanished before he could. Again he put Shao in a chokehold and continued to mock him, "Go on try it again! You'll never defeat me! I've been waiting so long for this day! The day where I, Shang Tsung, kill Shao Kahn!"

Shao Kahn couldn't do anything, Shang was simply too quick to defeat. It looked like it really was the end…until Raiden intervened, causing lighting to rain down upon Shang. Shang disappeared once more, teleporting behind Raiden. Raiden countered it by teleporting away from him.

This confused Shang and gave Shao enough time to give him a proper beat down. He rushed towards the sorcerer, grabbing him by the throat and tearing into his stomach. Shao Kahn turned to Raiden, "Why did you help me? I killed you."

"You're a valuable part in preventing the apocalypse," Raiden admitted, "whether we like it or not, you are one of our greatest assets in this time of need."

Shao did not understand this but he almost appreciated it nonetheless. Still there was a greater threat at hand here. Again the ground shook as cracks started appearing in the sky itself. Noob looked down from the pyramid again, furious that Shang was killed. It didn't matter though, as a Necromancer with the power beyond that of a god, he merely resurrected him again. In fact he did this with all the undead corpses too.

Kotal Kahn sighed and held his head, "This is an unwinnable battle. Even if we should kill all of his minions he will just resurrect them."

"Then Noob himself must be destroyed," Raiden replied.

Daegon and Taven reached the top of the pyramid where Noob was waiting for them. He stomped towards them, "Do you really think you can stop me?"

Taven gave a confident smirk, "It's my destiny."

"Our destiny," Daegon added. The two of them charged at Nooblaze. The wraith had no issues fighting them both. Daegon leapt up towards Noob and Taven slid under him. Noob grabbed Daegon but couldn't anticipate Taven's attack. Taven stabbed him in the back with a sword. Noob let go of Daegon in response, allowing the first son to uppercut him.

When he landed, the blade in his back was driven further through him, directly through his chest. Noob growled in rage, getting back up and pulling the swords out. He rolled towards them, which the two easily avoided by jumping. Noob returned back up and rose up stone pillars out from the pyramid which the two rolled out of the way from. He stomped in frustration which caused a shockwave that rattled the surrounding land. The brothers weren't prepared for this, falling over in their confusion. Noob grabbed both of them and smashed them into each other. After that he threw them off the pyramid.

The two were not gone for long as they ran back up as fast as they could. They went at him in different directions. Taven went left and Daegon went right. Noob intercepted them this time by grabbing them and smashing them into the ground. Making it worse, he stomped on them both for good measure. He was taken aback when Taven grabbed onto his foot on the second stomp, allowing Daegon to slice his lower left arm off.

In his confusion, Taven tripped him. It seemed like Blaze was grounded for good. Taven held his sword up above the merged abomination, "Like I said, this was destiny."

Before he could finish the job, Daegon drove his sword through his brother's abdomen, "You're right, my destiny!" He shoved his brother to the ground and grinned deviously. Taven looked back to his brother with eyes of deep sorrow, "Daegon…why?"

"You were always Argus' favorite," Daegon mentioned, "but in the end it is I, Daegon, who prevent Armageddon! Not you!"

However it would not be him as Noob got back up, angrier than ever. He picked Daegon up and tore him cleanly in half by just squeezing him by the chest, "Your hubris always was your one weakness, Daegon." He picked up his arm and reattached it, the molten lava he called flesh melding back together easily. After that, he crushed Taven's head with his foot.

He looked down from the pyramid as the heroes looked on with shock, "Don't worry, the Sons of Argus aren't dead." He raised his hands. Taven's head reformed from the bits of flesh strewn around and Daegon's torso reattached to his legs. Their skin became a pale gray and their veins were highlighted with an orange glow.

The Sons of Argus joined the battle again, fighting the very side they opposed. At this point, the hope within the side of light was crushed. Johnny Cage pulled off his sunglasses, "You know, for all I joked I never really came face to face with my own mortality until now."

Cassie hugged him. Sonya joined in on the little reunion, the three of them deciding to die together. Raiden shook his head in shame, "For all I tried to prevent Armageddon, for all I've lost in trying to do so…nothing I could do to prevent it."

As faith turned to despair there was one person who still stood triumphantly in the face of darkness. As unexpected as it was, this person was none other than Shao Kahn. Shao pointed up towards the Pyramid, "I will not let these realms be destroyed, Saibot! I am Shao Kahn and I will not let you taste victory this day!"

Noob looked down to Shao, "You think you can possibly defeat me?! I've come too far to be killed! Armageddon is here and it tolls for you!"

Ermac appeared by Shao's side and handed him his wrath hammer. The two of them nodded at each other. Shao took the hammer and ran up towards the pyramid, the last hope they could possibly have seeing as how he was the champion of the Elder Gods.

Kotal Kahn completely objected to this, "What?! Are you serious?! That's Shao Kahn! He will destroy the realms if Noob doesn't! What if he wins? We'll still die!"

Raiden answered bluntly, "In the future I foresaw, Shao Kahn was the only one who could destroy Blaze. That hasn't changed, he must win."

The incoming hordes of the Netherrealm were closing in, as Shang led them closer to the heroes. As they approached Kitana asked, "What are we supposed to do?!"

"There's only one thing left to do," Raiden answered, "Fight!" The forces of light charged towards the forces of darkness as Shao and Blaze charged towards each other in the final battle that would decide the fate of the realms.

 _To Be Continued…_

 _How long has it been since an update? If you're wonder what's with the delay. I questioned how I'd even end this story or if I'd even continue it but I figured I couldn't just let it sit abandoned. Coming up with an ending that leaves everyone satisfied has been something I've been thinking about since I began writing this. I know you can't satisfy everybody so I've just got to write what comes to mind and hope people like it. It won't make up for the massive delay it but I'll upload the following chapter as soon as this one goes up since I've been sitting on that one too. If you're still reading this story, thanks for still checking up on it._


	23. Armageddon Part 2

The battle to prevent Armageddon continued! It was now or never for the Earthrealm heroes. Their last hope, as much as they hate to admit it, lied with Shao Kahn. Only he could defeat Blaze with both Taven and Daegon dead.

The forces of the Netherrealm were immensely overwhelming but with newfound confidence, they continued fighting. Shang led the charge against the heroes and Raiden led the charge against the Netherrealm's forces. It was family fighting family, friend fighting friend, and old rivalries being reborn.

One of the more prominent examples of this was Kung Jin fighting his cousin Kung Lao. Kung Lao recognized his younger cousin, yet showed no real sign of remorse in fighting him. He didn't even speak. It seemed that Noob's control over them was even greater than before, even greater than that of Quan-Chi's.

Jin tried reaching out to his cousin to no avail, "Lao please! You can't help that monster destroy the realms!" Lao didn't listen, throwing his razor hat at his cousin. Jin ducked beneath it and shot an arrow at Lao. Lao deflected it with his gauntlets and ran towards his cousin with the hat in his hand, ready to cut.

Jin swiftly jumped over the swipe, landing behind Lao and stabbing his arrows into his shoulder blades. Lao turned around, unfazed by the arrows in his back. Again he swiped the hat at Jin, it even slicing Jin's arm. Coming in to assist him was Jacqui Briggs, who knocked Lao onto the ground by kicking him. Their victory was short lived as Goro stomped in and threw them both aside. He was about ready to kill them until a tongue coiled around his arms, pulling him back. This gave the two young heroes ample time to get away.

Goro pulled the tongue over, having Reptile in his grasp. He began choking the Zaterran, unable to express his rage outside of angrily grunting at him. He slammed him into the ground repeatedly, his smile growing each time he did. Reptile spat acid all over his face, forcing the Shokan to let go.

Kotal Kahn intervened, ramming Goro onto the ground with his great strength. Goro pulled himself back up with ease. Kotal threw a punch yet Goro grabbed it and twisted his arm. With his other arm, Kotal pulled out the Macuahuitl. He attempted to smack Goro with it, but Goro grabbed that with one of his other free hands. His hand leaked out inky black blood as it held the serrated ends, but he didn't seem too receptive to the pain. Using his other free hand, he picked Kotal up and growled. He threw him against the desert sands and bashed the Macuahuitl against him.

Interfering this time was Erron Black, who rolled a sand bomb at him. Goro stomped on the bomb, again unresponsive to the shards of glass in his feet. Erron tried shooting him but every bullet only made him angrier. Kotal dragged himself back up and grabbed Goro by one of his wrists. Reptile helped, holding Goro back with his tongue yet again. The two kept him apprehended, allowing Erron to run in and get a couple free shots in Goro's stomach. Kotal shot a beam of sunlight into Goro, causing him even more pain. This time he let out a small yelp, showing it did have an effect.

Erron dropped some more sand grenades out from under Goro and flipped back. He took shots at the bombs, forcing them to explode multiple times over.

Goro went flying into the air, crashing into the side of the pyramid and then into the dirt floor as sand flew all around from the impact. However, he got back up again. He was simply implacable. More would have joined in on the battle but they were simply preoccupied, leaving these three alone in their battle.

Goro cracked his neck and marched slowly towards them. With every step her took, he started going faster, faster, and faster until he was sprinting towards them. The three all shot out their attacks. Erron started shoot, Reptile spat acids, and Kotal shot out the rays of the sun. Goro was impeded by these attacks but only momentarily.

Kotal turned to Erron, "Quick, give me one of your sand grenades!"

Erron obliged, reaching into his pouch and pulling one out, "Sure thing hoss, but I don't see what this'll do fer any a' us. He's already provin' sand grenades don't work on 'im."

Kotal popped the top off and handed it to Reptile, "Spit in this." Reptile obeyed, spitting acid into the grenade. Completing the bizarre weapon was a discus which Kotal made exceedingly hot by letting it burn in the sun. He threw the combined weapon at the ever approaching Goro. The explosion it caused Goro to explode into bits and pieces.

Elsewhere Sub-Zero continued the fight with Enenra after his disappearance. It was a brutal fight, made worse by Sub-Zero's guilty conscience for having to fight his best friend. He continued trying to reason with him even though it seemed impossible at this point, "Tomas, you must break free! He has no power over you!"

Enenra silently kicked Liang in the shin and elbowed his jaw when faltered. Kuai reacted quickly, throwing an iceball at Enenra. Enenra faded away in smoke and reappeared, dive kicking his former friend. Kuai tried pulling himself back up but it was no use, Enenra stomped on his back. Out of nowhere, Hanzo showed up and pulled Enenra back with his spear. He pulled out his swords and drove it into Enenra's stomach. Enenra did not respond. He pulled the sword back out and attempted to stab Scorpion back.

Scorpion parried, deflecting the blade out of Enenra's hands and aiming his at the wraith's neck. Sub-Zero got back up and slid into Scorpion before he could finish him. Using this chance, Enenra escaped yet again.

Scorpion rose back up, enraged that Kuai had cost him this victory, "What are you doing, Liang?! I almost had him!"

"You can't kill him," Kuai said, "he's my friend! I know there's still hope for him!"

Hanzo nearly pointed his sword at his friend but sheathed it, "There's no hope for any of them now, Kuai. I know what it's like to lose someone, it can be hard."

"But have you ever had to fight those loved ones," Sub-Zero asked him, "My family, my friends…most of them have turned against me."

Hanzo understood his pain, "I will admit, if Quan-Chi made me fight my wife or my son I would be as devastated as you are. But that doesn't mean you can hold back. If you hold back on these few, then everyone dies."

Kuai agreed, "You…you're right. We're not fighting for ourselves we're fighting for everyone this time."

He soon heard a woman scream elsewhere. Sub-Zero picked up the pace, ice sliding over to where he heard the scream. What he found as Mileena on top of her sister, ready to bite into her. Sub-Zero kicked Mileena in the back, forcing her off of Kitana. He picked the Queen back up, "What happened?"

"The Brotherhood overpowered me," Kitana replied, "Mileena used that as her chance to try to kill me."

Behind them were an army of the Brotherhood of Shadow's minions, all being led by Havik. Havik bowed before them in an odd form of showmanship, "Greetings, a chaotic day we're having is it not?"

The two of them were quick to attack Havik, but Havik…willingly accepted it. He took their combined punch with much enthusiasm, which was distracting. This distraction allowed the Brotherhood warriors to flank them. The two looked towards each other and smiled. They joined together back to back as Sub-Zero froze them and Kitana shattered them with her fan blades.

Their team-up worked, until Shang Tsung intervened when he suddenly appeared and resurrected them all.

This unexpected turn of events forced them to retreat, unable to fight them all like that.

Perhaps where the fighting on the ground was most intense was the reunion between Shang Tsung and Raiden. The two weren't necessarily in battle as much as they were playing a game of cat and mouse. The two of them were teleporting all across the battlefield in a race to see who could get each other first.

As they chased each other, bolts of lightning and flaming skulls were flinging around. They never hit their target but that doesn't mean they stopped. Eventually Shang stopped, throwing Raiden off and allowing him to get the first hit with said flying skulls. Raiden reacted in kind by zapping him. It connected, frying Shang. He brushed it off, firing more flaming skulls at the Thunder God.

Raiden vanished again, appearing in front of Shang and grabbing him. He sent electricity all throughout his body. Shang retaliated by having a horde of Brotherhood cultists come in and pull Raiden away. Raiden shook them off and continued the pursuit. Eventually Shang had even more of the Netherrealm's hordes come after Raiden. Coming in to help his friend was Fujin, who blew all of them away. Fujin smiled and saluted to his friend.

Raiden continued his pursuit of Shang, not letting anything stop him. The sorcerer consumed more souls of his minions, gathering more strength. He rose up a skull wall, which Raiden rammed directly into. He crashed into the ground, right at Shang's feet. The sorcerer grinned, "Now you're in my control." He picked Raiden up and started sucking his soul away.

The Thunder God however, was not going to have his essence sucked out. He sent a surge of electricity through Shang's body, shocking him to the very core. Shang pulled back, the souls inside him slowly escaping. As he began to age again, he refused to let Raiden have the last laugh. In a last desperate bid he lunged at Raiden and formed a flaming skull in his hand. His deterioration hastened when he did this, as he was now a frail decrepit old man. The skull faded and he turned to nothing but bones soon after, dying yet again.

Raiden almost expected him to be resurrected again but Noob was too busy fighting Shao Kahn to notice what was going on.

Atop the Pyramid of Argus, the battle of the ages was happening. Shao and Noob's battle was a fierce one. Shao struck Noob with his hammer multiple times over, it barely affecting the enhanced wraith. Noob grabbed the hammer but before he could even dent it, Shao let go of it and uppercut him. He grabbed the hammer again and proceeded to beat Noob down with it as he was grounded. Each hit rung out through the desert, causing incursions.

Noob sank into the floor into a pile of lava and got back up behind Shao. He picked the former emperor up and smashed him into the pyramid's floor and dragged him across it. After that he picked him back up and threw him onto the floor. He almost expected Shao to go down after that, but the once ruler refused. He leapt up over Noob, bashing his spine with his hammer. Noob stomped the ground, sending Shao into the air. As Shao hovered in the air, Noob socked him. This sent Shao careening to the edge of the Pyramid. He landed on his feet and charged towards Noob with hammer in hand.

Noob kicked Shao in the face and uppercut him. After that he stomped on him. He laughed as Shao writhed in pain on the ground, "You know, it doesn't even matter if you somehow find a way to win. In the end, when you win, you'll just destroy everyone and everything. I'll have achieved what I wanted. Everyone will be dead and nobody will remember what I've become."

Shao attempted to pull himself back up but he failed. He slipped and hit the ground again. Noob mocked him yet again, "You don't get it, do you? You've lost. Armageddon is here and it's going to destroy everything. I must give everyone credit for lasting this long, but there's nothing left to stop me. Even if my hordes were to be defeated, by the time they have it will be too late."

Adding insult to injury, he stomped on Shao's back, "Everything you've ever worked for will soon be pointless." Shao tried reaching for the wraith but Noob stepped back, "I do have to wonder why you even bother anymore. Like I said, I'll still get what I wanted if you win. Why are you even fighting for these people anyway? You hate them and they hate you. You'll never be forgiven for what you've done to them all, what you've taken away, and what you allowed to happen."

Shao Kahn pulled himself back up using his hammer like a cane. He weakly swung it at Noob, who grabbed it and tossed it far away. Even without the hammer, he still threw some halfhearted punches. Noob dodged every single one of them. He seemed bemused by Shao's efforts, "You're still trying? Again, that dedication is commendable but I've got you beat." He picked Shao Kahn up and held him high, "And this is what happens when you oppose me!"

Everyone turned their attention to the defeated Shao, even those on Noob's side. Noob maniacally chortled, "You all should just give up, resign yourself to your fates and accept that this is what's best for you! No matter what happened, this was bound to happen. You can't prevent Armageddon, I made sure of that!"

Silence overtook everyone as Noob continued his victory speech, "I know it seems grim, but it isn't. The realms have been in eternal conflict for years, there has never been peace! The only true way to achieve this peace is not through life, but through death! When we all die there will be no more conflict, no more hatred, and no more pointless agony. Why prolong the inevitable?"

"Because of chaos," someone spoke out. Everyone turned to see Havik, who was throwing rocks at Noob, "You promised chaos and yet death is the opposite of chaos! You promised anarchy, you promised to abolish all rules!"

"I was true to my word," Noob said back to Havik, "there are no rules if there's nobody to make them."

The sky rippled as it turned a bleak and dull shade of purple mixed with patches of a foggy gray. The color began to fade away from the world as Armageddon approached ever closer. There was nothing left they could do to stop him. How could they stop someone as powerful as Noob combined with Blaze? Again, family huddled together as did friends. If this was to be the end, there was nobody else they would want to spend it with.

Noob threw Shao's lifeless body to the ground yet again, just to make sure he was dead. Noob reached towards the heavens as he looked away from Shao, "This is the day of reckoning!"

However, fate had different plans as a beam of golden light shot back down from the heavens, engulfing Shao in it. Shao stood back up as his wounds healed and his bruises died away. He pointed towards Noob, "I am Shao Kahn, ruler of Edenia! I will not allow you to take this realm!"

Noob turned back with wide eyes, "You?! It can't be! I killed you!"

"I never stay dead for long," Shao Kahn said back to him, reenergized and ready to fight Noob. He held his hand out and his hammer came back to his hand, "If you aren't afraid to die by my hands then face me, Noob. I challenge you to Mortal Kombat!"

"Only one of us will be left standing when this is over."

"And it will be me," Shao retorted, charging at Noob with the hammer in hand.

Down on the ground, everyone was cheering him on for motivation. Johnny had to make note of this, "You know I never thought I'd be cheering for that jerk."

"Things have been very backwards these past few weeks," Kotal replied.

Back on the Pyramid, Shao tried to strike a blow with the hammer but Noob grabbed it. However this would be different as Shao pulled the hammer back out and bashed Noob across the face with it. Noob retaliated by rising a pillar of fire below Shao. Shao slid out of the way and threw three glowing spears at him. The spears pierced Noob's body but had little impact. He leapt up over Shao and tried to crush him. Shao rolled out from under him and struck him with the wrath hammer in the chest. This sent Noob across the air. When he landed, he got back up and charged towards Shao.

Likewise Shao charged towards him. The two collided, causing a massive quake that shook the landscape. When the dust settled, the two were in a standstill. Neither could overpower each other. Again Noob asked, "Why must you fight for those who will still hate you when all is said and done?!"

Shao continued trying to gain the upper hand as he said, "I do so because I've come too far to give in!"

"Come too far in your conquest? Hah! You still only wish to rule the realms! I've already won!"

Shao overcame Noob and shoved him away. Noob was taken aback by this, allowing Shao to get the upper hand and smash his hammer against Noob. He smashed the hammer so hard, it shattered into pieces. Noob was sent onto the Pyramid steps, where Shao leapt down and continued beating on him.

Noob pushed him off as flames began to surround the Pyramid of Argus. He grew angry at this, "Just! Give! In! You're only delaying the inevitable!"

Shao got back up and raised his fists, "The only thing inevitable here is your death! It's official, you suck!"

Noob reached out his hand and grabbed Shao by his calf. He threw him into the flames that surrounded the base of the pyramid. As Shao burned, he pulled himself back up and approached the emperor, "Even with the power of the Elder Gods, you are no match for me. I have become something beyond the Elder Gods, beyond life itself!"

Shao struggled to get back on his feet the flames coursing through his body were too much to bear. Noob picked him up by the neck, squeezing. Shao responded by grabbing Noob's wrist, which was so big he couldn't even wrap his two hands around it. The two struggled but Shao relented, his arms going limp and his eyes shutting. Noob chortled to himself as he threw Shao from the Pyramid.

The entire crowd that had long since stopped fighting gathered around Shao's body. Raiden knelt down and felt for a pulse. There was nothing. He shook his head, "This cannot be. Even the Elder God's champion stood no chance against him…"

It was a disheartening sight, to see the once mighty Shao Kahn having been defeated in such a way. In the previous timeline he may've won, but Blaze's brute strength combined with Noob's cunning was simply too much for him to handle. Noob took this chance to gloat, "This is what happens when you try to be a hero. It changes nothing. Besides, I did you all a favor. If he had won, then you would've had to deal with him. Now you all can die at peace!"

Liang walked out from the crowd to his brother. Raiden and Kitana reached out to try and stop him but Hanzo held out his arm, stopping them, "He has to do this."

As Sub-Zero approached the flames at the base of the pyramid died down. He offered out his hand, "You know it doesn't have to be this way, Bi-Han." He took off his helmet, exposing his tearstained face, "You have the power to change things. You reverse what happened, you could change back into the brother I once knew…restore the revenants…you could do anything. Please, reconsider. I want to see you again. I want to see Tomas again."

The wraith paused. The flames completely died down and Noob took his brother's hand. Using his power, he reverted back to the regular Noob Saibot rather than the hulking monster he became. He pulled Kuai in closer for a hug. From behind, Enenra appeared and stabbed Kuai in the back. Kuai's eyes met his brother's blank white eyes for only a moment before he collapsed to his knees. The wraith cupped his brother's chin and made him look him in the face yet again, "You always were soft." After that, he simply dropped Sub-Zero.

Hanzo was furious, so furious he reverted back into Scorpion. He charged after Noob, but Enenra rose up and sucker punched him before he could get close. Kitana could only stare in disbelief and Frost was so devastated she screamed Noob's name.

Noob rose back up the Pyramid and hovered in place, snapping his fingers. The sky rippled and a white rift appeared in the blackness. Noob laughed in a disturbingly pleased way, "This is it…what I've been working so long for. Shinnok, Quan-Chi, Onaga, and now Shao Kahn have all died for this single moment!" Raiden took one final charge towards the Pyramid before he was met with a force field in his way. He couldn't penetrate this, no matter how hard he tried.

Soon the white rift overtook the sky, causing a blinding light that blocked things out. This was it, this was the end.

…or was it? When their vision had returned, they were still in the Edenian desert but something was different. A lot was different, actually. In the distance, they could see what almost looked like an urban city from Earthrealm. Off in the opposite direction, they could see a Netherrealm tower, and in another they could see where the ground itself was nothing but disembodied pieces of earth floating in the air as if it was Chaosrealm. Noob hadn't quite destroyed reality, he had instead merged all the realms as many others before him were seeking to achieve.

Noob looked over the horizon to see this and he was most displeased, "What?! What is **this?!** His rage was so great everything began to quake, "I chose not to merge the realms, I chose to have them destroyed! Arrrgh! This cannot be…!" He screeched in sheer rage, unable to take his failure. All those years of planning, wasted. However, not all was lost. He realized something, "The One Being shall soon awaken with the realms merged. I will still have what I want. Until then, we vanish!" The Brotherhood's forces vanished in an instant. Noob looked towards the forces of light with confidence, "Make your time! For this is but a temporary setback." He disappeared, where he might be in the One Realm was unknown.

The heroes were far worse for wear after the battle. Those who weren't horribly wounded or dead were still injured greatly. Raiden looked over the merged realm in awe. Kitana and Scorpion rushed over to where Sub-Zero had fallen now that Noob was gone. She checked his wrist and sure enough, there was still a pulse. She was deeply relieved by this, his stab wound wasn't in the slightest fatal. Perhaps Noob couldn't bring himself to kill his brother or perhaps he made a simple mistake. Either way was good, it showed either Noob's humanity wasn't entirely lost or he was just as susceptible to underestimating his opponents.

Kotal Kahn stomped his foot in frustration, "Well now what? Our only savior is dead and now we certainly have little time before that demon's plan takes full effect!"

"Here's what we do," Cassie Cage spoke up, "we get our asses in gear and stop him before he can figure out what he needs to do! We can stop him!"

Reptile protested to such a plan, "How? He'sss ssshown that he'sss far ssstronger than any of usss could imagine to be, even together! Not even Ssshao Kahn could kill him!"

Raiden crossed his arms, "But he came close to overpowering him. If we could bring him back and find a way to either buff his strength or weaken Noob there might be hope yet. This is our last stand against the Brotherhood of Shadow."

"Hey great speech," Johnny replied, "but how're we gonna do any of that?"

"Simple, we bring him to the Jinsei Chamber. This will reinvigorate him."

Fujin gasped, "But the Jinsei Chamber may be corrupted if someone such as Shao makes contact with it. It could only cause more problems."

"That is a risk we must take. It's either risk the Jinsei or risk reality itself." Raiden looked into the expanse, spotting the unmistakable silhouette of the Sky Temple far off in the Earthrealm area of the merged realm. Raiden pointed that way, "We go that way."

Cassie and Jacqui stood forward, volunteering themselves. Kenshi and Takeda did as well. The last ones to do so were Frost, Reptile on order of Kotal Kahn, and most surprisingly of all Havik. Kotal was notably weakened without the sun. If he wasn't, he'd have gone himself.

Sonya smiled at her daughter, "Be safe." Johnny grinned, "If you see any of the Brotherhood trying to stop you, kick their ass for daddy." Cassie hugged them both, "I will. I'll see you two when we get back."

Jax placed his hands on Jacqui's shoulders, "You're really growin' up. I remember when you were just a kid. I'd go with ya but I trust you. If anything will happen, I know Raiden will be there too. 'Fore ya go I jus' wanna let ya know, I love you." Jacqui scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, "I love you too, pop."

"Listen Syzoth," Kotal began, "this is a very important mission. I know you, as one of my most loyal soldiers, won't fail me. It'll be tough out there, who knows what you might run into. You will come out, though. Starting now, Raiden is your master." Reptile nodded, "Yesss, Kotal. We will win thisss war."

"So why are you joining us again," a confused Raiden asked the cleric of Chaos, Havik. Havik explained his motives albeit not clearly, "Chaos has no reason, it has no motive, chaos just is. And now, you are the one who promises to keep the chaos flowing." Raiden still wasn't certain but he accept Havik's place on their team nonetheless.

With Sub-Zero out of commission, Frost had nobody to see her off. That was until Hanzo came to her. She scoffed at him, "What do you want, Shirai Ryu dog?" Hanzo scowled at her, "I realize we do not have the best of relationships, but I promise you we will save Sub-Zero." Frost's gaze turned away, "I doubt that." She walked away.

Kenshi and Takeda were ready to venture out, but Takeda didn't seem too enthusiastic about his father joining. "I can do this by myself," he groaned. Kenshi agreed, "I know you can, but I thought this might be the last chance we have to bond so I'm going to take it." Takeda jeered at such a notion, "Since when did you care about spending time with me?" Kenshi wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders, "Since now."

With their goodbyes all said, the team embarked towards the Sky Temple with Shao Kahn's corpse in-tow.

Everyone else decided to return to Edenian palace not too far off, waiting whether they could bring Shao back in time or if Armageddon was destined to take place.

 _It almost looked like an ending, didn't it? Nope, the Return of Shao Kahn is going into overtime! I was originally going to end it here but I decided this ending wasn't satisfactory and I still needed some more time. So here we are now! I'll see you in the next update many months from now!*_

 _*update will hopefully come sooner than that_


	24. Armageddon Part 3

Noob returned to his tower within the outer reaches of the One Realm. He hovered in the air in a fairly relaxed sitting position. Beneath him was his hoard of servants. He folded his hands, "I don't understand why the realms weren't destroyed as I wanted them to be. Could this be the Elder Gods' final attempt to stop me?"

He pondered this question to himself, not quite sure of an answer. Still it didn't matter, he had no opposition. Once the One Being returned, it would surely bring about the end of the realms just as he foresaw. The wraith was assured of his inevitable victory. With this in mind Noob thought back on when he was sent through the Soulnado. This was the catalyst.

It was not in the Soulnado where he had his revelation, but rather it was where he was sent when the Soulnado dissipated. It was in the Void where Noob witnessed a vision of the end. In this vast emptiness he witnessed Armageddon. What he saw was the world itself tearing apart at the seams. People running for their lives as both the sky and ground gave way to bleak nothingness. Inside this tear in reality was sheer blackness. Witnessing it would be enough to drive a normal person to madness. However Noob was not a normal person. His already fragmented mind shattered further upon witnessing this event.

He fell to the ground, clutching his head. His silence gave way to maniacal laughter. But it wasn't a loud laughter, it was quiet laughter. A quiet yet deranged cackle. Noob soon came to grips with reality. What he witnessed were the Elder Gods seeing one of many possible futures. He gathered his thoughts, with a new agenda in-mind. Knowing he was in the presence of the Elder Gods made him sick. His evil essence felt a natural disdain for them but even more than this, he felt anger. This anger stemmed from the fact that the Elder Gods did nothing to prevent this possible Armageddon and his corruption into the being he was now. "These lazy insolent worms must pay," he thought to himself.

Noob made a break for it out from the Void when the Elder Gods descended to Earth to help Raiden defeat Shao Kahn. He returned to the Netherrealm. It was within the outer pits of the forsaken realm he waited. He knew of Shinnok's plan, he knew that he wouldn't be able to take control of the Brotherhood with the fallen Elder God still around. It was only when both Quan-Chi and Shinnok were finally dead or disposed of that Noob could take control. He waited 20 years to enact his plan to kill the Elder Gods and all life with them.

Noob's thoughts returned to the modern day. He crossed his arms, "We are one step closer to our goal. We may've lost a few in our ranks, but they're at peace now. Soon, we shall as will. But yet, there's something we must take care of."

"The Jinsei Chamber," Noob pointed out, "they will attempt to use it to resurrect Shao Kahn. We cannot let this happen." He descended back onto the ground, pointing to the Sky Temple, "I will send only the best to guard it, make sure they don't make it inside."

He looked to his ranks and chose Mileena, Enenra, and Sareena to head the attack on Jinsei Chamber. He smirked under his masked, "I would simply teleport you there but I must save my power for when the One Being finally returns."

He sent them away along with a large faction of the Brotherhood's army. They could not fail. If the forces of light could rejuvenate Shao with the Jinsei then he very well might gain the power needed to prevent Noob's victory. Still he was worried. So worried in fact he used his godlike powers to resurrect Shang Tsung yet again. He instilled the old sorcerer with the power of the deceased Liu Kang and Sindel, granting Shang greater power than before.

"You are champion of the Netherrealm now," Noob said to his new servant, "head to the Edenian palace and eliminate all possible threats to my plans."

Shang grinned at this second chance, "You will not regret your decision, my master. Only I have the skills to weaken them from the inside."

"I know," Noob replied. This was followed by a devilish cackle, "Now waste no more time! Make them suffer and then kill them all!" Shang vanished at his master's request.

* * *

He would arrive at Kitana's palace where he would wait in the shadows until the time was right. Those who did not depart to the Sky Temple were there, recovering from the battle of Armageddon. Ermac rushed to Jade as soon as he entered the palace. She had passed out while they were gone. He woke her up. She looked up to him with weary eyes, "What happened?"

"Shao Kahn failed," he said, very bluntly, "we…have failed." He lowered his head, "But there's still time. Many have departed for the Sky Temple to revive Shao Kahn. The Jinsei is our only chance."

She pulled herself back up, "Then what are we waiting for? I can't stand just laying here with our lives on the line." Jade was determined to join the fight as a fire burned inside of her. Ermac lifted her up with his telekinesis, "We can't let you fight you're in no condition to!"

She broke free of his grasp on her and continued to the doorway but was met with her best friend, Kitana. The queen held her hand out, preventing Jade from exiting. She pleaded with her, "You can't leave! I've already lost too many friends. Don't let me lose you too!" Kitana began to even cry, her losses were all too great, "Don't make me lose you again."

Jade hesitated but continued forward, "I'm sorry Kitana but I can't just stand idly by." She grabbed her staff, fully prepared to leave on her own but Ermac teleported in front of her. He sighed, "If you so wish to leave, then we'll leave with you. We won't let you leave alone." Ermac had grown close to Jade during this time, closer than he'd ever admit, he couldn't let her leave. Not without him.

"Very well," Jade agreed. She looked back to Kitana, who was heartbroken at her decision to leave. Jade solemnly nodded, "My queen this is something I have to do." Kitana wiped the tears from her eyes, "If you feel so strongly. But don't call me, "my queen," I'm your best friend." They didn't need to say another word. Jade strutted confidently out from the room, Ermac hovering behind her. The two of them would soon catch up with Raiden and his group.

Hanzo soon walked in, carrying the limp body of Sub-Zero. He wasn't dead but he seemed close to it. Kitana ran to Hanzo, "How is he?"

"I don't know if he'll make it," Hanzo said to her. He gently placed his comrade's body on the floor, his anger at both himself and Noob growing. To think that if he had simply let Bi-Han live, none of this would have happened. He always had issues controlling his rage and it always brought him nothing but pain. What could he do? He couldn't go back to change things, he can't save Kuai, and he can't even fight Noob. Not now. Flames engulfed Hanzo as his human face gave way to a skull. He looked to the ceiling and screamed, his anger overtaking him again.

Fujin's winds blew away the flames, "That's enough, Hanzo!" Hanzo turned to Fujin as he reverted back to normal, "I'm…I'm sorry. I just, I could've prevented this! I shouldn't have killed Bi-Han! It's my fault!"

The wind god placed a hand on his shoulder, "You couldn't have foreseen this. Nobody could have. Not to mention you were being manipulated by Quan-Chi. You're not responsible."

"I suppose you're right," Hanzo agreed, "but I can't help but feel bad."

Fujin smiled, "Nobody's perfect, that's what makes you human." The deity hoped this would calm Scorpion's nerves.

"When Kuai saw that I was angry he always made me tea to calm me down. I should do the same for him." Hanzo departed for the palace's dining halls, hoping to find ingredients for tea.

Kitana knelt down to Sub-Zero's body. He helped her so much since she was freed from Quan-Chi's corruption. She felt she owed him in some fashion. She gently wrapped her arms around the cryomancer, cradling him. She intended to reassure him in what was one of his worst moments. Within his mind, Kuai was stuck reliving the moment he was betrayed by both his brother and his best friend.

The words "You were always soft," rang through his ears. He could see it, Noob's uncaring glare as he simply backstabbed the younger Sub-Zero. He thought that perhaps there was still a way to reach out to Bi-Han. Kuai's life was surrounded by death and the loss of loved ones. His brother, his friend, and even his clan were all lost. Though he tried his best to hide his sorrow behind a stoic façade yet he was only lying to himself. He was a very broken man. Kitana removed his helmet and mask, revealing his agonized expression.

She caressed his face, "I'll find some way to help you, Kuai. I promise." Kitana too had suffered many losses. In a way, they were similar in that regard. The two had been through a lot, forging a strong bond. A bond that was unexpected but not unwelcome to either. Unfortunately neither wanted this to last, as they both felt that a relationship would only end with their partner feeling pain.

None of this mattered right now, though. All that mattered to Kitana at this very moment was helping Kuai recover in any way she could. She thought back to all she had lost. It all came back to her, her mother, her best friend, her right to rule to Edenia, her lover, her right to rule the Netherrealm, and now seemingly Sub-Zero. It was all too much. Her grip on him tightened as she said in a hushed tone, "No, I won't lose you either."

* * *

Within the bowels of the One Realm, Raiden and his band of heroes marched onwards to the Sky Temple. Their current location was the winding desert of Edenia. It seemed to stretch on endlessly.

"So," Cassie spoke out, "when're we getting to the Sky Temple?"

Raiden sighed, "This is about the fifth time you've asked that, Cassie and the answer never changes. We will get there when we get there."

"You gotta be kidding me," Jacqui groaned, "how come you can't just teleport us over there? You can do that can't you?"

Raiden stroked his chin, he hadn't thought of the idea. He gave it a shot and it didn't work, "It seems Noob Saibot has placed some sort of barrier that cannot be infiltrated through teleportation. We must continue on foot."

It was at the point the utter futility of their quest sank in. As they journeyed forward through the wastelands, they found trouble in the form of an oncoming car. Cassie lowered her sunglasses, "A car, here in Edenia? That can't be right."

"This isn't just Edenia anymore," Frost reminded Cassie, "it's likely just a straggler from Earthrealm." The car stopped in front of them. It was a large pale sand colored jeep. The truck's door opened and a brown clad ninja with a stony skin walked out. His stature was enormous, outsized only by the Shokan and Shao Kahn himself. He cracked his knuckles, "The Black Dragon has come to take its revenge for the death of Kano!"

Raiden stood forward, "Stand back, we have no time for this. There is much more at stake than the honor of your clan."

"How do you even know Kano's dead," Jacqui asked, "he just died."

"Thanks to his cyborg enhancements, we're always able to keep track of his vitals. They dropped off right around this area. You can call me Tremor, by the way."

Reptile scoffed at him, "You're far outnumbered, nomad! You ssstand no chance so leave usss be!" Tremor chuckled at that remark, "You're the ones who are outnumbered. Everywhere I go, I am followed by comrades." He picked up a pile of sand and let it run through his fingers, "The Earth itself is my ally..." He raised his hands and waves of sand rose up from behind him, "and it is where you shall be buried!" Tremor thrust his arms forward and the waves of sand came crashing down upon them.

Frost shot out ice at him but molten hot lava rose up around Tremor, melting it before it could even hit him. Raiden attempted to shoot bolts of lightning at him but the elemental rose up a wall of stone, blocking every attempt. Cassie ran towards, revving a punch up. He caught it with his hand and crushed her hand, "Geez, I hate to hurt a woman like this."

"Then why don't you let me go ya big creep?"

"I must avenge Kano," he answered before tossing her aside like she was weightless. From behind, Havik grabbed Tremor. Tremor elbowed his opponent, shattering multiple bones in the process. Havik crashed into the sand below. He raised a barrier of sand around himself, hardening it into stone. He seemed almost invulnerable in an arena like this. He laughed, "You stand no chance against me here! Give in before it's too late and perhaps the Black Dragon will spare your lives!"

Raiden flew up above and shot lightning down through the barrier. Tremor responded by sending up a pillar of sand, knocking him out from the sky. Jacqui ran in with Cassie, the two of them circling around him. This caused him to lose focus and Cassie went in for a punch below to belt. When he recovered, Jacqui came in and socked him in the face. This hit was so hard his mask cracked in half. He fell to the ground, wrapping himself up with sand and sinking into the ground. It almost seemed like he had been defeated, but they were wrong.

Kenshi could sense him, the subtle rumbling. He could feel the sand heading for Takeda! He tackled his son, the both of them narrowly avoiding being on the receiving end of a massive sand fist. Tremor broke out from the massive fist, angrier than before. He growled in frustration, "This'd be so much easier if you just complied!"

He clapped his hands together, causing a massive shockwave to rumble across the desert. Kenshi lifted him up with telekinesis, removing his feet from the ground and thus his ability to manipulate it. He smirked, "Not so powerful now, huh?" He pulled out his katana, shoved it into the ground handle first, and slammed Tremor into the blade. He screamed in agony but didn't die. They almost considered finishing him off right then and there but Tremor had different plans. With the katana still embedded in his stomach he sunk back into the ground, disappearing for good. The Black Dragon lives on.

Havik pulled back up, as if he weren't even gravely injured, "Nothing quite like conflict to keep things interesting. We must keep the conflict going! Come on!" Frost froze him where he stood, making sure he didn't wander off.

Cassie took a look at Tremor's car. It was beat-up, with a quite a few dents. Much of the exterior's paint was scraped or straight up missing. Yet she had an idea, "Who's up for a little road trip?"

It was faster than just walking but it was also quite cramped. There was just barely enough for all involved. Jacqui was the driver. Takeda sat right next to her. Not in the chair next to her, but right next to her on the armrest. The person sitting in the passenger's seat was Raiden, acting as a guide. The sand wasn't exactly great road material but it made things much quicker and less tiring. The more energy they could conserve the better.

Trailing behind them were Ermac and Jade, who were investigating the battlefield where they fought Tremor. The blood was still fresh and Ermac could still sense Tremor's presence. Jade knelt down to the crimson stained soil, "What do you think happened?"

Ermac grabbed a sample of the sand. He shut his eyes and he could see the battle that took place. He motioned to where the jeep took off to, "They went that way! We must hurry." Ermac picked her up with his telekinesis and they both travelled onwards.

Rising out from the sand was Tremor, a cluster of rocks having formed where the wound once was. He growled, "They took my car! Son of a bitch, the Black Dragon will take that out of my paycheck!"

He received a call on his phone, he answered, "Hello? You made out the footage from Kano's eye? I see. I'm gonna have to kill Johnny Cage…" He hung up, almost saddened by this. He loved Cage's films. They were shlock but they were the best schlock out there. Still the dedication to his clan was strong so he had no choice but to find Cage and assassinate him for revenge. Grains of sand rose around him until he caused a massive sandstorm. He rode this sandstorm off towards the Edenian Palace, the only structure visible to the east.

* * *

Time was quickly running out, the sky darkened to a black swirling void as two piercing eye shaped formations in the sky opened. The eyes were a dull purple with a gray tinge to them. The One Being's awakening was nigh. Back within the Edenian palace, Shang Tsung's devious plan began. He took advantage of his shapeshifting abilities and took the form of his greatest enemy, Liu Kang.

He ran into the throne room, where Kitana was still comforting the defeated Sub-Zero. Kitana was surprised to see her former lover, still alive. She stood up and gasped, "Liu?! You're alive?!"

"Yes I am," Shang replied, "the merging of the realms allowed me to return to you, Kitana."

Johnny Cage ran up to his old friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Liu, buddy! Long time no see, eh? How've you been?"

"Liu" gave a warm smile upon seeing Johnny, "I've been better. But I'm here now. I want to fight for Earthrealm again!" Kitana stroked her chin, she could feel something was off about Kang but wasn't sure what. Perhaps it was just the fact that he was back so suddenly, or that she had known him far longer as the monster he became than the hero he once was. She walked up to him, looking him over.

Shang could feel she was getting suspicious, so he hugged her to distract her. He gave her a wide toothy grin, "Is something the matter, Kitana?"

She couldn't believe it, she hadn't felt Liu's embrace in what seemed like an eternity. She no longer had to feel the hole his loss left in her heart. She swooned instantly, "No, nothing at all. It's just been so long, Liu. We're both alive…back to the way we used to be."

Things seemed great, until the palace began to rumble. A massive earthquake shook the structure to its very core. Tremor rose up through the tower on a stack of bricks and stones. He broke through the floor.

Sonya recognized him, "Tremor!" Tremor bowed before leaping off of the stone pillar, "Ms. Blade, it's always a pleasure." His eyes met Cage's and he growled, "Johnny Cage I'm here to avenge Kano. It's nothing personal but he was my boss."

Johnny gulped, "Listen big guy I didn't mean to kill him! What do you expect when a guy has this big glowing bulb on his chest, for me not to hit it? Whatever the Black Dragon's paying you I can give you double! I'm loaded!"

Sonya slapped him, "Johnny that's a member of the Black Dragon! You can't just give him money for threatening you!" Johnny tugged at an invisible collar while worriedly shrugging, "Look at him! He can control rocks and we're basically in one big rock surrounded by tiny rocks! I'm just thinking rationally!"

"No amount of money can save you," Tremor retorted, "my loyalty to the clan will never falter!" He raised and then lowered his arms, causing bricks to fall down to the floor. Fujin blew the bricks away before they could hit anyone.

Fujin defensively stood in front of everyone. He loudly boasted, "As long as I am here, no one will get hurt!" Without Raiden, he was the de facto leader of the group. And he would take full responsibility for that.

Tremor cracked his knuckles, "Then it looks like I'll have to get rid of you." He thrust his arms forward, causing more bricks to fly forward. Fujin deflected every one of them with his staff. He turned back towards everyone, "Get to safety, I'll take care of him myself!" The others were too wounded to fight so they took this chance to make a getaway, leaving just the elementals to duke it out.

The Black Dragon mercenary gave a lone nod to Fujin, "Though I must fight you, I respect what you just did."

"And I respect your loyalty to your clan," the wind god replied. Tremor ran to Fujin with his arms outward. Fujin rode up in a gust of wind, narrowly avoiding his opponent. He appeared behind Tremor and grabbed him by the wrists. He pulled back, snapping multiple of Tremor's muscles. Tremor retaliated by wrapping Fujin up in a cluster of stones and squeezing. Fujin broke out of the stones' grasp and lifted him up in a cyclone. Tremor struggled as Fujin slammed him into the ground multiple times before throwing him against the wall. The golem got back up but he struggled to stay up. He clenched his fists and again the palace began to quake. Fujin looked around as it seemed like it was starting to sink into the sand.

"If I cannot kill Cage alone, then I will kill us all," Tremor screamed as he dragged the fortress into the ground. Fujin lost his footing and nearly collapsed. He looked around in a panic, only seeing one option. He raised his hands to use the wind to raise the castle back up. The two struggled for dominance, exerting this much power put a great strain on both. At this point it was less a fight and more a battle of endurance. In the end, it was Tremor who fell. Exhausted from the wound Kenshi left in his stomach earlier.

Fujin finally collapsed, the great strain left him winded. He didn't pass out but it felt like he was going to. Drenched in sweat and gritting his teeth, Fujin had been pushed to his limits. It was at this point everyone returned to the throne room, the entire place a mess. There were missing segments across both the floor and ceiling, the thrones had massive chips on them, and the velvet rug was in tatters.

With everyone exhausted, Shang saw it was now a fitting time to strike. He walked up to Kitana, still disguised as Liu. He figured she'd be the easiest to take out first due to her emotional attachment. "Kitana, may we speak in private," he asked. She agreed, the general unease she felt around him returning.

The two stepped out of the room, with "Liu" running his hand across her face. "Kitana," he began, "I missed you. I missed you so much."

She smiled warmly at him, "I feel the same way, Liu." Behind her back, she reached for her fan, still sheathed inside the blade. Before he could say another word, she drove this blade into Shang's shoulder, expanding it while inside, "And that's why I need to let you go." Shang pulled the fan out angrily, reverting back to his normal form, "You…you utter cur!" He vanished in an instant, appearing behind her and grabbing her by the arms, "I was going to kill you quickly but now I'll enjoy watching you suffer as I suck the soul from your body!"

Before he could do anything, Hanzo Hasashi ran in and put Shang into a chokehold. He told her, "Tell the others of Shang's presence before he escapes!" She did as he said to, running back into the throne room.

"Shang Tsung is here," she warned her allies. Everyone got into a fighting stance as Shang walked in, dragging Hanzo's soulless corpse behind him. He grinned, "His soul is mine. You will be next!"

* * *

As everyone prepared for a fight, Fujin instead chose to see the Elder Gods about this matter. He knelt before them, "My Elder Gods, the realms have merged and soon the One Being shall awake. We need your help before Noob Saibot can unbalance the furies and destroy the realms."

The Elder Gods whispered amongst themselves for a moment before speaking in unison, "It is not our problem until the void fully merges with the realms. Until that happens, the One Being shall not awaken."

Fujin folded his hands and began to beg for their assistance, "Please! We have been facing a nonstop assault from Noob's forces and it won't let up until he kills us all!"

The Elder Gods refused yet again, "It is your battle, not ours. The One Being won't awaken, we assure you. Only we know the outcome of Armageddon."

Fujin's brow furrowed and his frustration reached his peak, "If this is how Raiden was treated, I can see why he turned against you! Even in the face of total destruction you can do nothing but talk down to us like the ants you consider us to be! If you will not help then I hope the One Being feasts upon your corpses!" The first time in his life, his faith in the Elder Gods had faltered. Fujin was furious at them, not sure whether they were simply lazy or cowards. It was after this rant he vanished. His hope was lost and he knew now that surely they would fall by the One Being's hand.

The Elder Gods looked to each other. One spoke out against the others, "He's right! We must act now or else the One Being will consume all of reality!"

"We cannot baby our creation," another replied, "we must let them fight their own battles rather than have us always interfering!"

"We never interfere," a third Elder God reminded him, "we have done very little. Besides, this is our battle now that the One Being has come into play. We must help them." A massive argument broke out amongst them all until an ominous feeling began to creep in.

They could feel it, the One Being's consciousness awakening as the Void was slowly merging with the One Realm. It was at this point they agreed to finally assist in preventing Armageddon. They took their golden dragon form and descended to the One Realm. They knew they needed more than one warrior to defeat Noob, as Shao Kahn was not enough. They knew who their second champion would be.

They raced to the car where Shao Kahn's body was. One half of the Elder Gods inhabited his body as he got back up, breaking out from the car's trunk. The other half possessed Raiden. The both of them rose into the air, supercharged and ready to finish Noob Saibot before his plans could come together. The two flew towards his tower in the Netherrealm in a streak of light.

The car stopped. Takeda looked up to the sky where they took off, "Does anybody want to tell me what just happened?"

Havik replied, "It is life taking its course, the rebalancing of the universe! Chaos shall soon be restored to the way it should be!"

"Basically the Elder Gods are finally doing something," Frost explained.

Within the Netherrealm's tower, Noob awaited with glee. He could feel the One Being's presence as he sat in his throne. His concentration was ruined when Shao Kahn came crashing down through the ceiling. He screamed, "What?! You're not supposed to be here! I made sure the Sky Temple was impenetrable!"

Shao Kahn stepped towards him, "Your merging of the realms ends here, wraith." He was soon joined by Raiden. Noob realized he was not only face to face with Raiden and Kahn he was face to face with the Elder Gods themselves. He growled as he stood up from his throne, "I see. I defeated Shao Kahn when you inhabited his useless body, what makes you think this'll work?"

"Victory in numbers," Raiden and Kahn replied in unison, getting into kombat stance. Noob cracked his neck, "We shall see."

* * *

 _And that'll do it for this chapter. Next time the fate of the Realms is in the balance! Raiden and Shao Kahn together at last! Can they defeat Noob before his plan for complete and utter omnicide can finally pull through? Will Shang Tsung finish off the remaining members on the side of light? Find out in the penultimate chapter to the story, coming up next!_


End file.
